Hippo Happenings

I sewed poly pellet bags using my sewing machine for the first time--SO much quicker than hand stitching!  I also made square shaped bags instead of trying to make round bags.  They fit just as well in the base of the body/arms.  I decided not to re-stuff the head.  I am still playing around with the arm placement.  Need to make the poly pellet bags for the feet tomorrow.

Next up: Socks

Knitting socks doesn't usually appeal to me, but I couldn't resist buying some Vesper self-striping sock yarn after I read about it on Susan B. Anderson's blog.  I liked Susan's candy corn socks last time she wrote about it, but when I checked the Knitterly store, they were all out.  This time, I was able to snag a skein of self-striping yarn in the Monet's Garden colorway.  I'm excited to get my yarn in the mail!  It is so cool how it stripes on its own!  If you click HERE, you can see the socks other Ravelers made with the same yarn I bought.

It's been awhile since I made my first pair of socks, and I think it will be a good, small project to have on hand for summer knitting.  Might be good to bring to my MOMS club knitting group too.  We meet once a month, and it is usually best to bring something that doesn't require a lot of concentration or looking at a pattern.

Hippo

I've been knitting a hippo for Drew!  I've come to really like toy knitting because I can finish part of the toy each night.  This Hippo pattern is from Susan B. Anderson's Itty Bitty Toys. 

I left a red lifeline in the kitchener stitches at the mouth just in case I decide I need to stuff the head more.  Some of the other toys I've made weren't quite stuffed enough and it is too hard to open them back up to add more stuffing.  Once I stuff the body and arms/legs I should have a better idea.

This weekend I'll sew muslin bags for the poly pellets.  This is my least favorite part, but I really like the end result of having poly pellets in the toy.  It gives the toy more of a heft and allows it to sit up better!

I'll keep you posted...Drew loves stuffed animals and has been playing with some of the other ones I've made (puppy and bunny), so that makes it more fun to knit toys for him!