Last week I told you about the Single Ornament Swap on the Itty Bitty forums. While what I shared wasn't a fail, it certainly did not conform to my standards for the swap.
So I chose a different pattern. Still a toy pattern, perhaps a little larger than the usual Christmas ornaments, but perfect for what I was looking for.
I chose to knit
Ivy, the Christmas Hooligan. Now, Ivy is not an only child. She actually has a sister, Holly, and a brother, Steve. They're mischievous monsters according to Rebecca (
Rebecca Danger, that is...more about her in a minute.). I've been wanting to knit one of these happy hooligans for quite some time and this gave me the perfect excuse.
I chose Ivy because I liked her hat. Between the hat and the scarf, I didn't feel the need to add a mouth. I intentionally didn't make a mouth because I felt that it gave her an air of secrecy and magic. With her hat pulled low and her scarf slung high, she's looking out for dear Old Santa Clause - she doesn't want to get caught being naughty! :)
Ivy was a treat to knit. She is small and straight-forward. I had her knit up in no time (which was good because it was getting down to the wire - I had already attempted one ornament, picking another took me awhile!). She's knit with Cascade Fixation in green and red. Fixation is a combination of 98% cotton and 2% other. I believe the "other" is an elastic of some kind. The yarn has a bit of sproing to it. It's not my favorite to knit with because of it. The strand is a bit too coiled for my taste. But, for toys, I really appreciate the density of the fabric. When knit on small needles, it pulls in nicely, leaving no chance for holes.
This was my first time trying "
safety eyes." I've seen them used before in toys but never purchased any myself. I've always just embroidered the eyes. But I felt the need to stay true to the pattern this time. I found these in a JoAnn's in the doll section. I'm sure Hobby Lobby or Michaels sells them as well. I've also heard mention of purchasing them on
Etsy or look them up on
Amazon - the internet can be a wonderful resource for these types of things. I know that at one time Rebecca Danger had them in
her store, I'm not sure if she still does. They're a useful notion, although I can see times where I wouldn't want to use them. Using safety eyes requires placing the eyes before you're finished creating your toy. Because you need to push the backing onto the eye, behind/inside the knitted fabric, this cannot be done once the toy is sewn up. Personally, I like to see the toy finished and faceless before I decide on a personality for him or her. And if I have to place the eyes ahead of time, if I mess up on placing arms or legs, my poor toy may be a little cockeyed. But it's always good to add a new tool to your belt, so I tried them and will use them in the future, just not exclusively. (I think Ivy looks pretty smashing with her little belly-button and little black eyes.)
And finally, I just have to mention how much I love Danger Craft patterns. Rebecca puts out such beautiful patterns and all her monsters have such unique personalities. I've favorited nearly all her patterns and even purchased her book - the
Big Book of Knitted Monsters, and yet this was my first pattern to knit. She's got a wide range of toys - animals and dinosaurs, monsters and friends - they're all so cute! She has a new book,
Knit a Monster Nursery that I really would like to own. Her patterns are quite popular. After knitting Ivy, I'm sure to knit more.
And once I got Ivy outside and strung from the tree, I realized how perfect she would be on a Christmas tree. She looked quite at home in my backyard, although perhaps a little lonely without her friends. Inside, where it's cozy and warm is certainly the best place for her to be!
