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More Bears!

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There’s bears all over!

Well, not really.  They’re just in a box in my closet, but it’s a pretty big box.  And right now, it’s full of 8 bears.  (Well, 8-and-a-half.)img_3934I don’t have anything insightful to say about these bears, I just think they look cute, all packed up together.

At least they look cuter than the “half” bear.img_3942 I’ve finished knitting her, but she still needs to be stuffed, sewn up and embroidered.  Right now she looks kind of like a crappy glove for someone with two fingers and no thumb.  But soon enough she’ll look as cute as her brothers and sisters.

Are you making any bears?  Join me!  I promise they’re fun!

Bears

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Well, after this week, I think it’s a good idea to do something nice for someone else.  I always feel a bit better when I have work to do, and when it’s  adorable work to help cheer up adorable kids, it’s even better.

So, this morning, I drank my tea and did the finishing touches on my two newest bears for the Mother Bear Project. (I had knit them up already- I’m not that fast!)

I love the color of this guy’s sweater- it’s even prettier in person.  A dark red heathered yarn, with shades of ruby and garnet.  Gorgeous.  It almost makes up for how cross-eyed he looks. (I’ll just pretend that the cross-eyed-ness gives him character.)img_3769And this guy is ready for summer, with his T-shirt and stripey shorts (and scarf, for some reason).  The shorts and T were because I was using up the last little bits of my yarn, but he actually ended up pretty cute.img_3774And, I found out that the MBP posts pictures of all the kids with their new bears, so you can go back and look for the bears you made with their new owners.  I found a couple of mine!  Super exciting.

Have you made a bear?  Join me!

Let’s Do This- Again!

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It’s two months until Christmas (sorry to keep mentioning it), and there’s something I want to do.   Let’s do another (very informal) Mother Bear drive!

Last year I made and sent a half-dozen bears for the Mother Bear Project.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIf you missed it or forgot, the Mother Bear Project collects hand-made (knit or crocheted) teddy bears and delivers them to children living in emerging nations whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS.  It’s a great foundation with a simple message that I think all knitters can understand: sending comfort and love through the gift of something handmade.

(Plus, the bears are crazy cute, easy to make, and a great way to use up leftover bits of yarn.)sizeI’ve made 7 more bears since last Christmas, and I’d like to make another 3 before I send them to Mother Bear HQ this Christmas (to make a round 10).

Will you join me on this bear-making adventure?  Will you pledge to make a bear (or 2 or 3)?  Even one bear can make a big difference in these kids’ lives and let them know someone is thinking about them.

How many bears will you make?

Bear With Me

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I forgot how fun these bears are!

They’re quick and easy, with just enough challenge to keep me interested. (Perfect for  marathoning intense TV shows.  This one was mostly knit while catching up on The Night Of, which is very good, but not a “fun” watch.)

I tried something a little different on this bear.  The official knit-in-the-round pattern has you leave arm holes in the body by working the chest/back back and forth.  Then, when the body is done, you go back and pick up stitches around the armholes to make thearms.  That way, the bear ends up being a single piece of knitting.

But sometimes you don’t want to bother with picking up and knitting.  (Or at least I don’t.) So I didn’t.  I knit the body straight through, from the top of the head to the bottom of the toes, not an arm hole to be seen.  Then I cast on for the arms and worked those separately.

Then, I stuffed the body, formed the ears and the neck.  I stuffed the arms and sewed them in place.  And wouldn’t you know it- it looks super cute, and felt much simpler (at least to me) to knit up.

IMG_3145I’m very pleased with this little dude.  I’ll probably wait to get out my felt and embroidery floss to add the face to a bunch of bears at once, assembly-line style.

I’ll definitely be making more of these guys!  Maybe I’ll try to send in another big box o’ bears  this Christmas.

Anyone want to join me?

Hey Bear!

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OK, I changed my mind.  I’m not up to making the amazing, complex patterns I posted about on Wednesday.  I’m sorry, but… oof.  It turns out that I’m not up to making a giant lace shawl right now.  (And, when I went into my stash and looked around to see if I had anything appropriate for knitting up those patterns, and didn’t find anything.)

Instead of going to the yarn store and dropping a bunch of money on yarn I probably won’t use (as fun as that can be), I decided to try to use up more of my leftover worsted weight.

It’s time for more bears!

Remember the Mother Bear Project?  I made a big box of bears for them last Christmas.  They deliver hand-made teddy bears to children in developing nations whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS.  You really couldn’t ask for a better cause to support.  (Also the bears end up super cute.)

IMG_3080I worked on this red, lavender and blue guy at work, while the kids were at recess yesterday.  (Recognize the lavender yarn?)  I forgot how fast these little dudes knit up.  I’m almost to the leg split, and I probably did about 2 hours of half-hearted knitting on this guy.

I’m happy to be back on the bear train!  Have you made any bears for the Mother Bear Project?  Or, have you done any other knitting for charity?

 

Bears on the Move

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The day has come, and I’ll be honest, I have a little tear in  my eye.  It feels like I’ve been working on these bears forever, even if it is only a couple months.  I’ve watched them grow and get faces and become all fluffy and adorable, and now it’s time to send them off on their own.  It’s like a bear graduation.

I’ve ended up with seven bears, so not too shabby, if I say so myself.

I’ve got yellow ones,OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAand brown ones,OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAand one with a dress.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAA green one,OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAand even a naked one!  (Except for a strategically-placed scarf.  Oh my!)OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThey’re all nestled together in their box, and are ready to fly to Mother Bear Headquarters in Minnesota.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAGoodbye bears!  I had fun making you!  Good luck on your adventures!

Did you make any bears, too?  Have you sent them off already?

You can still make your own, just visit the Mother Bear Project for more information!

Mama Bear Update: Finishing

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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…)

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

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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.)

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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.

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

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThis formed a a nice, round, non-potato head.  Adorable!

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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.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERADone!  And, adorable!

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

Mama Bear Update: Faces

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Bears! Bears! Bears!  They’re everywhere!

And, now, they’re looking at me!

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Look at them with their little noses, and their little beady eyes.  Watching.

Although, I suppose I’m really the only one to blame.  I did add the faces after all.

Want to see how these little faces came to be?  I thought you’d never ask.

I’m usually a big fan of safety eyes, which, ironically are not safe for kids under 3 years old.  Since I don’t know who the dolls are going to (and the instructions specifically asked for no safety eyes, and I follow rules), I made these faces with embroidery floss and little bits of felt.  I think they turned out pretty cute!

I started by gathering my materials:  1 un-stuffed bear,  2 eyes (cut out of felt), 1 triangular nose (also felt), a big rectangle of felt, about the size of the bear’s face (something happened with the photos, but the green felt and the green yarn are much closer in color than these pictures would have you believe), a needle and coordinating embroidery floss.

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I used the same technique from when I made those teeny-tiny bears from Little Cotton Rabbits.  I slipped the face backing into the bear’s head, and arranged the eyes and nose on the front.  Then, I carefully sewed through the backing and the knitted face to attach the features.  OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI used a back stitch to sew down the eyes and nose  quite firmly.  I want to be sure that the faces don’t fall off while the bear is being played with!

Then, I made two long stitches slanting away from the bottom of the nose to create the mouth.  I like to give my dolls/stuffed animals as neutral expressions as possible, that way the kid playing with them will be able use their imaginations more freely.

Unfortunately, this bear ended up looking a little judgy.

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Oh well.  He’s still cute.

Then, to give the bear a little life, I added a couple tiny stitches in white to add a ‘shine’ to the eyes.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWeird how something so little can make such a big change!

How are your bears  coming along?  Do yours have faces yet?

Wait- what’s that?  You haven’t knit any yet!  Get the pattern here!

Teddy Bear Picnic

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Or at least a Teddy Bear Coffee Date.

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One of my good friends, Kate, has started knitting a bear, too!  (Hi Kate!)  And so has my mom- it’s super cute!  (Hi Mom!)

Mom lives in the Great White Tundra that is the Midwest, so I can’t meet up with her, but Kate lives just a couple miles down  from my place.  That means we can meet up, visit different coffee shops in the area every week or so and get our knit on!

Kate’s a new mom, so I’m pretty sure she’s excited to get out of the house and dust off her needles, and I’m loving having a knitting buddy!  There’s something lovely about having someone to chat with while your needles click away.  (And, if you’re awkward like me, it’s nice having a friend with you so you’re not that weirdo knitting alone in public.  Double win!)

So, grab your friends!  See if they want to pull their needles out of storage, or lend them a set of your own and get knitting!  It’s possibly the best way to spend an afternoon!

What’s that?! You still haven’t picked up your Mother Bear pattern?  What are you doing!  Get it here!

How are you doing on your bears?  I’ve just started knitting Bear number 7!

Totally Bare Bears!

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Or at least one bear.

My bears are coming along!  I’ll admit, I’m slowing down a little bit, but that’s just because I’m actually working on the projects I should be working on.  You know- Christmas presents, birthday gifts, etc.

Unfortunately, that means that I’m working a little less on my bears.

This one, I believe, is number 5!   (So, still not bad)

But, there’s something missing on this one… What can it be?

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Oh right!  Clothes!

I had a big, full skein of this bright shade of blue, so I thought, “Hey, why not?”  Thus was born the naked blue bear.  (I followed the pattern, but instead of changing colors for the sweater and pants, I just kept going with blue.)

The only problem is, he looks a little oddly proportioned without differentiation between top and bottom.  (Look at his stubby little legs!)

See?  Here’s one of my other bears:

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I think he looks much more well-proportioned.  But, maybe it’s just me?  Or maybe it’ll look better once I stuff the bears and give them little faces and everything?

How are your Mother Bears going?

What’s that?  You haven’t ordered your pattern yet?  Click here to help out!