No More Bare Bear

Because it was such a chilly day yesterday, and on the advice of counsel, I decided to make a raglan sweater for the bear. If I was cold, he probably was, too.

Seems happier, right?

Grin and Bear It

I made a bear for the daughter of a friend of mine who's coming into town later this week. I've used up leftover yarn from a sweater I unraveled a few years back, which is just perfect for this sort of thing. If someone (not me) were enterprising enough, you could probably have a small business making microbrew heirloom teddy bears out of old family sweaters that can't be worn anymore. My mother knew a woman who converted old coats -- tweed, furs, what have you -- into stuffed bears. I still have a bear made from a houndstooth wool swing coat that belonged to my grandmother in the 1930s or '40s.

I like knitting small gifts for friends' kids, but they quickly outgrow sweaters and hats and bootlets. So, I've been thinking more and more about stuffed animals. But they are a pain to make. You've got to make all those pieces, then sew them together, then stuff it all.

This knitted bear pattern is ingenious. It is knit in the round and has virtually no seaming. Short rows create the butt, elbows, and face shaping.

Super-cute, right? It's called Vera and you can find it on Ravelry. Worth every penny of the price.