Paula the Polar Bear

The other day I fouund these patterns for knitted toys on Ravelry.com. I just love them. There's something so sweet and soft and cuddly about these animals--and what's cuter than than a bear or a lamb or a puppy in a sweater? Not much. I would love to make all of them, but my practical side reminds me of this:


Do we really need more stuffed animals?

Before I went crazy and ordered a bunch of the patterns, I remembered I had a pattern for a teddy bear in an old knitting book. I decided to make one and see if knitting a stuffed animal really is that fun.

It is.

Here is "Paula the Polar Bear":

I messed up on her shoulders (one is backwards I think), but before sending her off to the Island of Misfit Toys, I made a scarf to hide her slight scoliosis.

I've figured out that knitting little things--especially cute little things--is so much more fun and rewarding than knitting things that are big and overwhelming (like sweaters!) So I got the Fuzzy Mittens Lamb pattern (it's free) and I think I'll create a whole knitted menagerie complete with little sweaters, capes, and lederhosen (yep, there's a pattern for those too.)

Whether these little animals can compete with the eighty-seven Beanie Babies in the basement will remain to be seen . . .