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/