Buckley T. Bear, Jr.

Another project done in just one night! I just love this little guy. He turned out really well, but I wasn't sure since the pattern called for the bear to be felted. The pattern is Little Bear by Denise Powell. It was the only pattern I could find that was of a realistic looking bear, not a teddy bear. After knitting it, I can say that it was worth every penny of the $6 price tag.

It's knit in one piece from tail to nose to underbody, in garter stitch. The adorable shaping is made by the use of short rows. I've reclaimed my knowledge of that technique! The pattern reminded me a lot of Elizabeth Zimmerman, especially her Christmas Fiddle Faddle Pattern from Knitters' Almanac. The pattern was a joy to knit, and it was so sweet to see the bear taking shape.

After sewing up the bear, I took to the button bin to find the perfect eyes.

Would you believe that I couldn't find what I was looking for? I did however find a little leather button for the nose. For the eyes, I stopped by Hancock Fabrics on my way to the Eldridge Knitting Nook and picked up small,round, black shank buttons. It took me just about as long to sew on the nose and eyes as it did to knit the bear.

For the body, I used Knit Picks Merino Style in Coal (the same yarn I used for the Checkered Skull and Crossbones). For the snout, I used a tiny bit of Argyle Fiber Mill's Fifty Mile Fiber, that I bought at the Driftless Area Fibre Arts Faire in 2009. Since I didn't felt him, I just knit him on smaller needles that usual so the stuffing wouldn't show through.  I used US 2's, but I'm a really loose knitter. And with that, I have only one thing left to say...

The End!