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.