the first, finished crochet item

The sample i grew fond of became a bag! i made a front to go with the back, a flap and a handle. Then i picked-up-and-knitted the sides and bottom and picot-ed all around the perimeters (lovely peaceful job.) 

   Plenty of inevitable cat and dog hair in the pictures and the colour has been extremely difficult to faithfully reproduce. (in reality, the first photograph is the closest match.)

Last Sunday i finally got 'round to constructing a canvas inner (undyed to show off the holes) so it's bits-n-bobs tight now and quite rigid. I still need to line the handle or the bag will be dragging along the ground.

 Ever helpful John suggests i branch out into crochet bags for iPads, pods, laptops and Kindles.
    I may attempt a tea-cosy. And a hat!

Bovis Bears set sail for Scandinavia!

Lovely news on Friday - two little bears were invited to live in Sweden!

  I'm really happy for the little jumbo-corduroy bear as i felt he might not be everyone's cup of tea, bless him (and he does go on so about hydraulic mechanics). As for the very small knitted lad - i don't know what we will do without him! As his listing has now disappeared, here is his biography, so you know what i mean:

Some knitted bears have very fixed characters. This is because some knitted bears lack the anatomical addition of a swiveling head which explains their often trenchantly fixed view, steadfast will and almost stubborn adherence to duty.
If you are looking for a bear whose pleasure it is to listen attentively as you discourse upon such subjects as dialectics, hockey sticks in graphs, the Turin Shroud or the Large Hadron Collider, then this is the one for you. He will also hear personal problems but is prone to offering practical solutions rather than a shoulder to cry upon as he is only 6 inches tall (when standing) and finds such shows of emotion physically uncomfortable.

This dear little chap has fully functional button-jointed arms and legs, the shiniest black eyes and a grand nose as the olfactory sense in one so diminutive must be even greater than that of the average bear to aid survival.

It was touch and go whether he would actually reach the shop window as he is a borderline genius and has been wooed by various organizations (i'm afraid i can't go into details - suffice to say we had to sign the Official Secrets Act). However, at the last minute, he broke down, shouting "I am a Bovis Bear, not a human being" and only calmed down when we agreed to revert to Plan A, the plan that all Bovis Bears are brought into this world for - to grow up and become somebody's greatest friend and companion and guardian ad infinitum.

He is a Bovis Bear and he's ready for (almost) anything! 

 
 It's so nice for them to be traveling together. Apparently their new companion has a working steam engine; to see one is the corduroy bear's greatest wish! To make a bear's dream come true is a wonderful thing.

 Goodbye bears! Safe journey!
 Only 6 left in the shop now, i'll have to get busy...