FO: Squiddy Bear
May 30th, 2007 at 6:37 pm (Finished Objects 2007, Project Spectrum)
The teddy bear is having a picnic. Oh, who am I kidding? This squiddy bear is so worn out from his identity crisis that he is just barely able to support himself with some help from the plants.
Okay, so here’s the part where I tell you which adorable child in my life is the recipient of this stuffed animal. Um…..it’s me.
Yup, get ready for another random fact about me.
I used to barely fit on my bed as a child because it was so full of stuffed animals. (and yes, I did believe that they talked to each other when I wasn’t in the room. Many of their conversations revolved around their jealousy of my favorites, who got hugged as I went to sleep.) I tried to break myself of the habit of sleeping with stuffed animals when I went to college, but I eventually failed. I tried again when I first started dating P-funk. It kind of stuck, but I still needed to hug something in order to go to sleep easily…so I really just switched to pillows. (While I love P-funk, he is not soft and squishy to fill the “hugging while sleeping” need.)
While making me feel more grown up, pillows are larger and take up more space in the bed than a small bear. So see, I made this for purely practical reasons
Pattern: Baby Bobbi Bear
Yarn: Knitpicks Shine Worsted in Terracotta
Needles: DPNs US8
Thoughts:
Overall, I would only say that this was only an okay pattern. It is clearly written, but some things seem a bit silly. You start at the bottom of the body and work up to the neck. At that point it tells you to put all your live stitches on a holder and pick up stitches at your cast on edge to make the legs. After you finish the legs, you then go back to the neck and knit the head. This seemed like extra work, so I just kept knitting from the body up through the head and then went back to pick up the stitches and work the legs.
I also think that knitting with a heavier weight yarn would work better, for example using the US8 needles with chunky yarn. Since you stuff the bear, it would look better at a tighter gauge, so you don’t see all the stuffing through the stitches. I knew this from seeing a sample of this bear beforehand, however I was using stash yarn so had more limited options.
However, when I design his sibling, Teddy Squid, I will fix the things that I don’t like…and add more legs.
jupiterjessica said,
May 30, 2007 at 6:49 pm
I am the EXACT same way when it comes to sleeping. I have a teddy bear that I mad at Build-a-Bear years and years ago that I sleep with every night. I bring him on vacations as well. :D He’s taken a beating though. He has a hole in the back and some stuffing fell out.
Your bear looks great. Totally squeezable. :D
Nell said,
May 30, 2007 at 7:24 pm
I still sleep with my childhood bear. I think he’s almost real like in The Velveteen Rabbit.
Kirsten said,
May 30, 2007 at 7:34 pm
So cute!! I love his little face.
DD #1 sleeps with hundreds of stuffed animals. I have been a little concerned that they would all go off to college with her. You have done nothing to reassure me! ;)
Julia said,
May 30, 2007 at 8:23 pm
I’m a huge toy fan, too! All the knitted toys I make are for me. =D
Pikku-Kettu said,
May 30, 2007 at 8:27 pm
That is one huggable bear! I also need to hug things when I sleep, so my SO got me a “boyfriend” pillow. It’s basically an arm and half a torso without the inconvenience of bones. :)
Arianne said,
May 31, 2007 at 1:19 am
ARGH! I do the same thing! I have my bestest childhood teddy in my bedroom right next to my bed and even though I’ve got a full and proper husband I take him from his perch on the bedside table and cuddle him to death when I fall asleep. I’ve also got a doll that my mum made for me but I only cuddle her if I’m feeling really sad and suchlike because she’s got a hard head so she’s for comfort rather than sleeping.
Am I sad too? Also I would SO knit a squid. :) I hope when you design the pattern you make it available for life. :)
mel said,
May 31, 2007 at 2:05 am
Oh, he is so very cute :)
Jodi said,
May 31, 2007 at 3:53 am
Squiddy Bear looks very sweet! A friend from my knitting group made this bear, too. In order to camouflage the stuffing, she stuffed Bobbie Bear with inexpensive acrylic yarn (cut up) that coordinated with the bear’s body color. It worked really well, at least visually. I’m not sure that the yarn will hold up quite as well as polyfill to all the hugging!
Avrienne said,
May 31, 2007 at 4:35 am
My husband has to hug something in his sleep to feel comfortable too, and since it can’t be me–I’m a tosser and turner–I actually got him to get a stuffed animal early in our dating, he used to just use a pillow.
It’s gotten a little out of control, though…last night there was a manatee, a water buffalo, a baby armadillo, a gazelle, a seal pup, and a sea turtle in the bed. And that’s not even half the animals we have now….and we have no children!
And I just got him an adorable stuffed guinea pig for his birthday a few weeks ago…I guess we won’t stop until we have the whole zoo!
nova said,
May 31, 2007 at 7:00 am
I love squiddy bear. And I think I love the fact that you knitted him for you best of all! Move over P-funk, there’s a new bear in town.
joy said,
May 31, 2007 at 7:39 am
stuffed friends are the best.
tiennie said,
May 31, 2007 at 8:41 am
He is adorable and I hope he serves his purpose well!
I need to sleep with a huge full body pillow. It helps keep the kiddos who sneak into my bed at night from kicking me!
pamela wynne said,
May 31, 2007 at 9:04 am
He’s so cute! Enjoy him :)
Moe said,
May 31, 2007 at 9:40 am
Aw, nice bear.
I made the same bear a few years ago and knit it at a tighter gauge than called for, and it worked out really well.
Brenda said,
May 31, 2007 at 9:45 am
He’s very cute! I used to sleep with a bear, but M takes up too much room, so I’ve adjusted to no bear, but I’ve seen a book of teddy bear patterns that are very cute, and I’m tempted.
stacey said,
May 31, 2007 at 9:57 am
:) very cute. I too, had too many stuffed animials – they were on my bed, on the floor and on top of my dresser. way too many….
Christine said,
May 31, 2007 at 10:51 am
I love squiddy bear! He is really darn cute. I don’t sleep with a teddy bear. I have jack russell terriers who, no matter how I try to dissuade them, end up basically plastered to me every morning when I wake up.
Risa said,
May 31, 2007 at 12:21 pm
What a great friend you have there! Looks like he’s going to make all the other toys jealous.
I was so relieved when I found out my college roomie had a stuffed lion she slept with – made me not feel silly for bringing my bear Biggie with me :)
Amy said,
May 31, 2007 at 12:22 pm
What a sweet, cute little bear! I think it’s awesome that you made him for yourself. As for his little brother, you could always hold the Shine doubled? Or did you already?
Karen B. said,
May 31, 2007 at 2:12 pm
I heart Squiddy Bear! I feel privileged to have help name him :o)
Asaknitter said,
May 31, 2007 at 2:36 pm
Teddy is so cute!
Knittypants said,
May 31, 2007 at 5:20 pm
Cute! I understand needing to hug something to go to sleep at night.
Look forward to seeing the sibling, more legs sounds great.
Opal said,
June 1, 2007 at 1:13 am
He’s adorable. I used to sleep with a bear until my allergies to dust mites got too bad. No matter how much I wash them they still bother me. Maybe I’d have better luck with a knitted bear!