Speaking of cute things, let’s start with Tarzan.
Shelter Dog Sweater
He’s my little dogbrother, who is tremendously good company for my mom, a lovey goodboi to my family and me, and a terror to almost every one else he meets. (At least until they learn he only has three teeth, so his bark is indeed very much worse than his bite.) He’s mostly Boston Terrier, with a splash of Australian Shepherd for interest – according to dnamydog.com at any rate – and was rescued from truly dire circumstances before landing in the lap of luxury at age nine. Anyway, he deserves only good things in his golden years.
The Shelter Dog Sweater, made out of Knitologie Worsted Merino in Safari Sunset allows him to strut his stuff like a model, while staying warm in chilly temps. Tell him he’s handsome! And see his mom’s matching hat here.
Housewares by Frances
Does your French press need a sweater? Mine did, so I knit up the Coffee Pot Cosy to help keep my java warm for a little longer in the morning. Ridiculous and adorable little cabled cardigan, yes?
Speaking of sweaters for household goods, my bestie saw the pillow covers I made for the couch at the cottage and “suggested” that a good project for me would be a light green throw pillow for her couch as well – knitter’s choice as to pattern. Well, I love the pillows I already made, but of course I wanted to do something different. I chose the Vinter Pillow pattern and, instead of the Jumbo weight yarn called for, used worsted weight held double. To get the shade of green I wanted and to jazz up my life a little, I used one strand in Fern and one strand in Soft Fern of Bernat Super Value Solids.
I also made a super-boring pillow – no pattern, just stockinette – for my couch at home. The
Loops & Threads Eco-braid Multi yarn was a Christmas gift from said bestie last year. This yarn is BIG. My notes say I cast on 22 stitches and knit 27 rows, et voila! Easy peasy.
Nice birthday hat, Archie!
“Thanks, I hate it with the fiery heat of a thousand blazing suns.”
It’s not everyday that a baby turns one. To mark this festive occasion, I made Archie a birthday hat. I have no idea why I thought that was the right use of my time and energy, and yet here we are. He was also perplexed by my choices and, as you might expect, irritated. I have a whole book of hat patterns for cats–called, appropriately enough, Cats in Hats, so Archie may well have reason for ongoing annoyance.
He’s not alone in his awkwardness. A friend of ours saw the pics of Archie’s headwear and thought, “that’s what my ladies need!” I happily adapted the pattern ever so slightly larger and made a couple more hats in less festive colours for everyday cold weather wear. Just wait - next year, they’re what all the best dressed chihuahuas will be wearing!
And lest you think these little doggies look stressed, remember: they’re chihuahuas – that’s just how they look.
A Snake for Archie
Because some pets need pets of their own. I made a toy snake for our cat Archie from some of the leftover Bernat Super Value Solids, using the Henry’s Toy Snake pattern. Have a click through to the pattern’s page on Ravelry for a gander at many pictures of cats with their snake babies. I find it delightful.
To be honest, Archie doesn’t love the snake as much as I thought he might. I’m pretty sure it’s because he knows Bernat is a mass-produced, inexpensive yarn. He is a terrible yarn snob.
Speaking of babies, and critters…
For another sweet baby – a human one – I made a Raccoon from the book, The World of Knitted Toys. I used
Cloudborn Fibers Highland DK in Silver Heather and in Charcoal Heather, as well as Cloudborn Fibers Merino Alpaca Sport in Antique White and in Black. The wee babe is the little brother of the Fox owner, so I wanted to keep with the same Canadian animal theme and I also wanted to knit something I hadn’t made before - so a moose was out.
Plus, the trash panda during the pandemic is the kind of the dumb pun you know I love. Just look at him – this lil guy is totally in on the joke.
Knitted sweaters, elf size
In our house, we’re big fans of advent calendars. Well, I am for sure, and I usually am the purchaser of said calendars for my peeps. In 2021, the Dave really upped his game and absolutely delighted me with an advent calendar from Les Laines Biscotte (Biscotte Yarns). The box itself was beautifully constructed, with ribbons tying its flaps closed, so it was like opening French doors into a mysterious closet of different sized, numbered boxes. Day after day, I opened new little gifts, including a candle, mints, scissors, a wooden shawl pin, various notions, and of course some of their gorgeous hand-dyed yarns and patterns.
One box contained a small skein of yarn (which I haven’t used yet) and a tiny coat hanger. The pattern itself came by email, and it’s now available for free on Ravelry. I whipped one up for my tree using a remnant of leftover sock yarn, and another for a friend. I made a third using a different free pattern, but it just isn’t as cute. The proportions are off a little. Anyway, I only had one tiny hanger but not for long. Just search up “mini coat hanger from paperclip” and you too will be cranking out tiny hangers a mile a minute.
The Child
I was late to The Mandalorian party. Turns out, it’s pretty good. I haven’t finished season 2 yet, but I probably will sometime. What I did finish over the course of a day or two was this charming little stuffie. Made from an easy-to-follow free pattern and using yarn I had on hand, Baby Yoda - I know, Grogu – was a fun, fast project. The hands and arms of the coat are knitted in a single piece, which is the kind of genius hack I appreciate.
I had no plans for it, so when my daughter claimed him for her dorm room I was very happy to adopt him out to a good momma. I hope something similar happens on the show, cause that little guy needs a safe, loving home.
There. That’s the small things rounded up and shared. I’ve started on a sweater for me, which will be a months-long endeavour so I’ll likely be looking back fondly at these smaller scale items. (Except for the raccoon. For some reason I struggled so hard with those seams, and looking at the photo in hindsight I’m pretty sure his back legs are upside down. Sorry, man. I hope it doesn’t slow you down.
