We’re in the home stretch, folks! I wanted to send the bears out by Christmas, and I think I’ll make it.  I’ve knit up seven bears in the last couple months, and they’ve all got faces.  Now all I need to do is give them a little stuffing and make them lovely and chubby.  Time to break out the poly-fill.

I started by fluffing up some poly-fill and adding it by small hand-fulls to my completed bear, massaging it as I went to avoid lumps.  (He looks like a little zombie potato right now.  Braaaains…. braaaaains…)

Then, using the long tail left over from the cast on, I whip-stitched this guy’s head closed.

And made ears by sewing a little diagonal running stitch seam at the base of each ear.  (They turned out a little pointy, so maybe this is a teddy-cat, not a teddy-bear.)

Then, to make a neck and get rid of the whole potato-head thing he’s got going on, I carefully ran my needle through around his neck, starting and ending at the back of his head.

I tied the ends together tightly, and wove in the ends.

This formed a a nice, round, non-potato head.  Adorable!

Then I wove in the ends on his little scarf and wrapped it around his neck, adding a little stitch to hold the knot in place.Done!  And, adorable!

Thinking about joining the Mother Bear party?  It’s not too late!  Get your pattern here!