pets for Mrs Sims and son

My friend Mike's cat, Mr Fluffy was run over in 2007. Since then, he has had several cats move in and then move on. He's fed up with it, so i have knitted him a replica of the last little urchin. Hopefully, it will know which side it's bread is buttered on.

And for Mike's Mum, who used to have Springer Spaniels but is now past dog-walking age, i have knitted her a low maintenance one from a pattern in the wonderful book Best in Show.

January-February bears so far

Note to self: blog every stage of a bear's development, don't wait until they are finished.

  Here are the bears i have been working on since mid-January. It's been a bit hectic here with my nocturnalism reaching/descending to bedtimes of 7am; a boisterous 3 week visit from my friend and her two-year-old, and very sad news necessitating a funeral trip to Canterbury in early March.
  None of this has aided me in the excruciatingly complex task that is embroidering noses on bears. I have, for the time-being, given up trying as i just can't do it. Sometimes it's a blessed relief to accept failure. So for sewn bears, plastic noses will have to do for now. I think i might prefer them.

There are several smiles to be sewn, a pair of ears to attach and a three noses to figure out but on the whole, i 'm feeling more confident with the making of the animals and i think two or three of this latest group could be ready for new lives elsewhere via an internet craft shop.

this bear and the largest one above, and the little
one, left, were made from old corduroy trousers.

this little one is a beany bear.

Hooray!