Purple Panda

Finished the Purple Panda I was knitting ((A Fuzzy Mitten pattern)). It's my first actually commissioned knit, and I'm pretty pleased with it. Since it was for a baby shower and therefore obviously for a very SMALL recipient, it had to have yarn only detailing, and I used mostly "Moon and Stars" yarn.

Red Heart yarn tends to come with a hefty bad rap, it's super saver yarn is unpleasant to the touch, though is, by all reports, very sturdy and softens up eventually, and most of it's available colors are stark and a bit gawdy, especially once you've become a bit spoiled by the affordable luxury yarns of KnitPix or the fantastic arrays many Local Yarn Stores carry.

For Kids toys though it's hard to beat Moon and Stars for quick and plushy soft, and importantly, very washable and not that pricey.

Mini Monster absolutely loved the feel of it, and when we let him handle the partially finished Panda, it was a small battle to get it back again. As you can see in the photos, I replaced the original head design with the Intarsia version provided by the lovely FuzzyMitten blog. It came out much much better, and I'm going to be much happier making a couple others, including one for Mini Himself.

He got to see both Grandmothers again today, Grandma S and Auntie Roo came by to drop off stuff, including the footie-PJ's that Grandma S got for him. The most amusing of the set was a gray pair with earth moving equipment stitched on the front. I joked that it was cement colored to keep him in one place at night. ((he was unimpressed by the joke.))

Nana J also came by, while we were waiting for Grandma S and Roo. Her's was an unexpected drop by, but it did let me send off Purple Panda and his care card. ((I included washing instructions as well as what he was made of, and a mention of where the design came from.))