Melinda and Avery

Melinda is knit in acrylic on size 8 needles. She measures a good 14 inches from ear to toe. She is by far the biggest softy I've knit from this pattern.

She's a total tomboy. She loves to play in the dirt and make mudpies. She can play football with the boys and loves to catch bugs. Giselle is convinced she needs a make-over, which Melinda doesn't appreciate. She likes herself the way she is.

Avery is knit with blue and white wool on size 6's (the size I usually use).

He's quiet, but not patient. He tends to fidget and not get in the way. He is nervous most of the time, but for what reason, no one knows...

Aaden and Holland

They are both knit with acrylic in variegated colors. Aaden has a flat tail, while Holland has an I-Cord for a tail (a long, thin tube). Holland is about 125% the size of Aaden. Other than that they are the same.

Aaden and Holland are tiger brothers. Aaden is used to getting picked on and bossed around by his older brother, but he still gets his feelings hurt sometimes. Holland is very agressive, but when he needs to be he is a sweet and caring older brother.

This is Aaden.



This is Holland.

Augustine

Mom and I drove down to McNeedles, the yarn store a few miles away from our house. I found this incredibly soft grey silk and wool blend and immediately went home and started knitting with it. It was so soft it kept slipping out of the cake it was wound in, but I got the bunny finished with some yarn to spare.

He loves to read. He is named after St. Augustine, the author of Confessions, his favorite book. He mostly reads books on philosophy but enjoys a good work of science fiction every once in a while *coughender'sgamecough*. He has some eye problems, so he wears a pair of wire-rimmed glasses.

Shelbert

Shelbert the sheep was knit as a (late) birthday present for one of my best friends, Shelby. I named her after a nickname I use for Shelby.

She loves listening to country music, watching Disney movies, and cuddling. Shelby was thrilled to get her!

How I Price My Animals

Like any starving artist, I'm always looking for potential customers for my work. I've had a few people recently ask me how much I charge and how to get in touch with me. So this post is to address that.

My prices are based on the amount of time I takes for me to complete an animal. The Fuzzy Mitten Patterns are the quickest, but still take me 4 hours to finish. The animals like the sheep, llama, and hedgie take even longer and then need to be felted which takes an extra hour or two plus drying time. The materials cost is just the cost of the yarn and polyfill if I'm running low. I pay for the facial features and the neck ribbon. If you want more than one color, you pay for both skeins of yarn. Usually one skein is anywhere from $2- $15 depending on how soft you want your animal. Acrylic is the cheapest and comes in fun colors and textures, but it's not that soft. Wool and silk cost more but feel so soft! Prices are as follows:

Bunny (or any animal based on the Fuzzy Mitten bunny pattern) - $15 + Materials

Ex. Giselle, Vernon, Augustine

Sheep or Llama - $20 + Materials

Ex. Maisy, Alice, Shelbert

Hedgehog - $24 +Materials

Ex. Gerald

New animals are coming soon!

I'll send you pictures of the yarn before I start and I will send you pictures of your animal in progress, so your animal comes out exactly how you want it.

If you have any questions or want to buy a custom softy of your own, please email me at iriscanine@aol.com.

Thanks for reading!

Vernon

After a long break due to finals and starting work and such, I'm back with new knitted friends.

Recognize these colors? I wanted to find a use for the rest of the wool that I knit Alice the Sheep with. I think he looks very handsome.

Vernon here is about nine inches tall and a music fanatic. He is always listening to music, or swaying to the music in his own head. He loves blues and country the best, but enjoys listening to anything and everything. His favorite place to sit is near the stereo, and loves having earbuds in. No headphones for this bunny. They are always too big. He is very mellow and is a little detached from the problems of others, but he makes a great companion.

If you are interested in purchasing Vernon ($22 + Shipping) please send me an email at iriscanine@aol.com.

Giselle

Giselle is the first bunny I knit using different colors. I wanted a little grey and white bunny to keep for myself to model the outfits I am making (from FuzzyMitten's patterns).

Here she is modeling my latest (and first) piece of clothing as Little Red Riding Hood. 

She is a true diva in every sense of the word. She sees herself as the center of attention. She is haughty and often gets into quibbles with the other softies. She and Maisy have a long-running dislike of each other.

Alice

I woke up this morning, bleary-eyed, and shambled into the kitchen to start the coffee maker. What do I find next to the bag of Folgers, but this little cutie!

Alice was knit as a commission for my English teacher. I went to a specialty yarn store in New Orleans to pick up some new wool, and I was very excited to get knitting. I finished her much quicker than my last sheep. I also think I'm getting a little better at faces. I really love using those safety eyes.

Alice is calm and docile - until she gets her coffee that is! She bounces off the walls! 

Patterns!

I love knitting from patterns. There's something special about seeing the picture on the page and making it come to life in a way that's unique and interesting. I'd love to start making and designing my own patterns, but for now, I use patterns from the following people.

~Fuzzy Mitten: The pattern I bought from her is the pattern that reignited my love for knitting. She knits adorable little toys and the cutest little softies. I really want to try my hand at knitting clothes for my bunnies from her Clothing Bundle patterns. She even offers a free pattern for people who just want to try it out.

Her blog is here: http://blog.fuzzymitten.com/

~Fiber Trends: This is where I bought the patterns for the hedgehog, sheep, and the sitting rabbit. They have really easy to read instructions and have a great guide for first-time felters.

Their website is here: http://www.fibertrends.com/

~BitterSweet: I haven't used her patterns yet, but once I finish my current projects, I want to make some knitted food. They are absolutely adorable and all of her patterns are free.

Her patterns are here: http://bittersweetblog.wordpress.com/free-patterns/

Gerald

Gerald the hedgehog is the newest addition to the pack. He was knit with tan wool for his body and one strand brown wool, one strand brown eyelash for his spines. 

I can't post the full pattern on here, but I took a few inbetween shots of him in the making. (You can see Whiskers, my lovely assistant, in the background.)

First I knit the body in one piece. I'm used to knitting it in different pieces for each of the limbs, but this was actually easier. I picked up stitches all around the edge of the body and knit the back spines on circular needles to accommodate the shape. Here he is before felting.

Once he was knitted, I felted him in my washing machine for about 45 minutes. Then I posed him to dry for a few days. Here he is after felting and shaping.

After he was dry came my favorite part. The face! That's when the personality of each Softy comes out. I bought plastic noses and eyes and I was itching to try them out. Once he got his makeover, we went outside to take some pictures.

Gerald is a little on the grumpier side. He likes to keep to himself and doesn't take any sass from the younger Softies. However, if you get to know him well, you can see he has a soft side and is a true romantic at heart.

Maisy

Maisy is the first Softy I knit to keep for myself and my first try at felting a piece. I purposely felted her lightly to keep the lines down her side and give her some texture.

She is the self-appointed Princess of the Softies. She is incredibly bossy and keeps her "subjects" (the other Softies) in line. She gets jealous easily and must always be the center of attention. She has full reign over her "kingdom" (my room) and makes sure everything is running smoothly.

Rosaleen

Rosaleen was my first felted bunny. She was knit as a gift for my sister's teacher. Her baby shower was last week, and mom wanted to give her something handmade.

She was only with the others for a few hours after being completed, but we were able to see her sweet and gentle personality.

Tristan

Tristan was my next knitting adventure. I wanted to experiment with smaller needles. He was knit with size 5 needles and turned out much nicer because of it. 

He is still waiting for his new home. I have been considering knitting some Softies to donate to the Children's Hospital in New Orleans. If I can get everything together, Tristan will probably find a happy home with someone there. 

Tristan wears his emotions on his sleeve. He loves watching movies and reading long novels. He is currently in my box of finished Softies, helping the others solve fights and helping everyone get along.

The Bunnies

The first pattern I got was this cute little bunny. It was made in separate pieces, then sewn together. The first one I made was not the prettiest, but at the time I was incredibly proud. I gave her to my best friend, who named her Lafawndah.

I always thought her eyes were a little scary, but Jonathan loved her.

The next ones I made I just call the Twins. I made them for Jonathan's parents after he died. They look much better because by this time I had actually figured out the difference between knitting and purling.

What Is a Softy?

When I bring my furry little creations to meet new people, I introduce them as Softies. Softy is a term I adopted for my animals. I think of a Softy as any handmade plush animal that goes beyond the normal limits of creative and artsy thinking. So far, mine have been pretty normal, but I hope to learn how to better adapt them to make them more unique and personal.

I got started making Softies over the summer when I bought a pattern for making a bunny. The first one I made I gave to my best friend to keep with him while he was in the hospital undergoing treatment for brain cancer. Jonathan had it with him the entire time and he had it with him when he died. It made him so happy, I wanted to make others happy too.

As of right now, my Softies have been gifts for people I love, or creations for me to keep. I have hopes of making a few to donate to Children's Hospital in New Orleans. 

If you happen to know of any knitting patterns and would like to share, please contact me at iriscanine@gmail.com.