Knitted Toys

I am not a knitter.  BUT, my teenage daughter is.  Two or three years ago, a very nice lady from our church got her started with a dishcloth.  There was, as might be expected,  a lot of frustration in the beginning, and my daughter laid knitting aside for awhile to pursue other crafts.  Then she picked up the Klutz Knitting book and taught herself some more. (When you are learning a new skill, you cannot beat those Klutz books.)

She has made lots of scarves and hats, all impressive to me, but it is these little knitted toys that are SOOO cute.  The problem with them is they are knitted in the round.  As I said, I do not knit, so I couldn't help her figure this out.  But one thing about my daughter:  she is DETERMINED.  So she tried and tried until she finally figured it out for herself, and now there is no stopping her.

The book she used to learn how to knit in the round was Itty-Bitty Toys by Susan B. Anderson.  All the following cuties are from Itty-Bitty Toys or from another of her books called Spud and Chloe at the Farm.  All of Susan Anderson's books are adorable.  She also has a very helpful blog called  Spud and Chloe, chockful of doable projects.  We love her stuff!

This ball is one of my daughter's first projects in the round, and is destined for a small boy cousin.

This little silver bear was a gift for a baby at church.

Isn't that a friendly face?

This cat was a present for a little cousin.

This hippo was for a friend's birthday.

The sweet little cousin who got this pig loved it as much as I do :)

What a personality!

Love, love the squiggly tail!

Here is Chloe herself:

A little Christmas mouse, one of the earlier toys:

A little brown bear that went to a sweet baby boy:

A little dog knitted during a car trip out west:

A giant giraffe that went to a special little girl at our church:

He was  probably the most complicated.

Back view:

It will be awhile before the baby is as big as the giraffe!

Santa  and his sack are the newest creations, and Santa is enjoying the holiday season right now on a shelf in my living room.

Here's a better look at his beard.  Hello, Santa!

My daughter doesn't have a blog of her own, so every once in a while I just want to brag on her!  I'm amazed at what she can do and I know when she's grown up she'll run rings around me.  I cannot take any credit for any of this.  My main job is to purchase the supplies :)  and to encourage and smooth things over when they get too frustrating.  Other than that, I try to stay out of the way and let her work her magic!