This is Churchill. She’s named after Churchill, Manitoba, which is famous for its polar bears. I knit her from Ysolda Teague’s Otto pattern. I thought she’d turn out smaller, a lot smaller actually. We’ll see if she still makes it to Peterborough in this box!

I intended to finish her two weeks ago, so she’ll make a belated 90th birthday present for Helen. I think it’s a fairly new thing, but Helen finds comfort in teddy bears. I hope Churchill provides good company.

My first attempt at amigurumi is finished, well almost. I still have to pick up some ribbon for around his neck. I used some mystery yarn for his head and paws and Fibra Natura’s Mermaid from The Purple Purl for his body. Mermaid is an interesting yarn – a mix of cotton, superwash merino wool, silk and seacell. Seacell is a cellulose fibre made with seaweed – I’ve never worked with it before but definitely will again. It’s really fine and not too slippery.

I have to say this project has me thinking a lot more about crochet. After a 10-year break from it I think I may be back on. It’s definitely fun and faster than knitting for projects like this. Oh, and I have to recommend the Etsy seller I bought the eyes from. They’re hand-painted, non-toxic and all that good stuff.

It has happened. I might have sworn it wouldn’t but it has. The joys of amigurumi have taken over. I picked up a copy of Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts: Amigurumi last week and was entertained for the better part of 48 hours by the cuteness of it all. All of these sweet crocheted animals with oversized heads. I started on the big teddy bear right away. You can see the beginning of its massive head above.

I’ve finally packaged up my first contribution to the Mother Bear Project – a non-profit that distributes knit and crocheted bears to children affected by HIV/AIDS. I don’t remember where I first heard about the organization, but Knitting for Peace included an interview with founder/ director Amy.

This is the second toy I’ve made and this pattern is great for knitters of all levels. It’s pretty straight-forward for beginners and there’s room for experimentation with different stitch patterns and colour work for more advanced knitters. I’m going to get more into intarsia on the next one!!! There’s something about making cute things that I find so satisfying. I don’t know if I’ll bust into arigumi anytime soon though!

This bear is for little Jindra. It, or he, or she was a labour of love. I’m hoping that Jindra won’t want to take off and put on the lamb suit. I’m hoping he’ll just leave it on. Hiding the weird neck work I did.

Ugh. I just found this very helpful assembly post. Why didn’t I look for this before I butchered the neck. I ended up making a second gusset and attaching it to the neck opening.

I really like this book though – Debbie Bliss’ The Baby Knits Book. Really sweet and cozy things. And knitting with her cashmerino aran is really lovely.