A (Very) Hungry Caterpillar

One of my knitterly friends recently had a son. To share in the celebration and welcome the little guy, and because I am a knitter, I just had to make something.

I do have a few guidelines that I like to follow when making this type of project.

1. It cannot be something I've made before.
2. It has to be designed or customized just for them.
3. It has to be something that will suit the child and the family.
4. It MUST be machine washable.

I spent a good deal of time wondering what to make.

To be honest, I was really at a loss.

 I did the only sensible thing I could - I did a knitted toy search on Ravelry, hoping and praying for inspiration to strike.


While scrolling through the search results, I came upon this project and pattern:

Creepy Crawly Caterpillar by LaTina Steele

It brought mind one of my favorite picture books, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. My lightening strike moment had arrived!

I used the Creepy Crawly Caterpillar pattern, but changed the colors to match the character in the book -- green for the body and feet, red for the head, purple for the antennae. 

I added three body segments which meant working rows 23-39 a total of four times, got everything stuffed as I went, and sewed all the pieces together. 

I then got some felt and cut it (free form) to match the face in the book, securely sewing each piece.

The only thing that remained was to purchase a copy of the book to include with the gift.

 

I was so pleased and excited with the way this turned out. Thankfully, this was a book that they didn't yet have, and both Momma and Baby seem happy with it. I hope it will bring enjoyment for years to come.

Project Details:

Pattern: Creepy Crawly Caterpillar

Designer: LaTina Steele

Yarn: Peaches & Cream (100% cotton) in Emerald (green), Red, and Deep Purple

Needles: US 3 (3.25 mm)

Other: Stuffed with polyester fiberfill, face cutouts from polyester felt

Summer Round-Up

Summer is quickly coming to a close, and I find myself wondering where all the time has gone.

Golf has, I suppose, taken up a lion's share of it. What with playing rounds almost weekly with my family, and spectating at Jay's tournaments, I have spent many hours in the beautiful sunshine. I would also like to publicly give a huge CONGRATULATIONS! to Jay for winning his division in the Southwest PGA Antigua Jr. Tour. He did it through good play and, more importantly, with good sportsmanship, and I couldn't be happier for him.

I went through my stash, cleaning and organizing it for ease of use. It was like a delightful treasure hunt, reminding me of the fantastic things I've got squirreled away. It also served as a reminder that I really need to "shop" there first when starting a new project. I fear if I don't start doing that, I will reach S.A.B.L.E. in very short order.

There has been much knitting, spinning, cross-stitching, and even a touch of sewing. Sadly, this doesn't mean that I've finished much, and several of my finished items I can't yet talk about, but, at least there has been progress. I'm particularly excited about one of the projects that I finished, and I will be sharing those details in the next post.

We have enjoyed visits from some of our family, reminding me of how blessed I am to be related to such wonderful people. Whether we are related by blood, marriage, or heart, God has been very good to me.