E l i j a h

Pattern: Elijah by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Merino by Vlnap a. s. (50% merino wool, 50% acrylic).

Her first birthday, first photoalbum and first knitted toy..

Elijah is the cutest hand-knitted toy I have ever seen! I wanted to knit it a long time before I had a baby to knit for, now the time has come and gone. I am really pleased with the result considering that the this little toy was a "knitters graduation" for me. 

The pattern involves many difficult techniques - I tried most of them for the first time, -such as 

• unusual disappearing loop cast-on method, 
• short rows, 
• knitting on DPN´s,
• french knots (embroidery), 

and some other basic decreasing and increasing. I found a crochet hook very useful not only for picking stitches but also for knitting first rows of ears, arms and legs - knittng on DPN´s so close to stuffed parts is not easy thing, but surprisingly it was a fun!

My yarn choice was rather practical. I wasn´t sure about the result and didn´t want to spend too much on yarn. Merino by Vlnap a. s. is a cheap alternative for merino yarns, the fabric is soft and it has a nice stitch definition. It seems that it doesn´t pill so far! :-) But be warned to frogg this yarn, please: it will loose the structure and split into threads! If it is for toys I can even stand that acrylic portion...

P.S.: Guess what my daughter did when I gave her Elijah? She just glanced at it and threw it away... sigh... Never mind, still Elijah is a beautiful room decoration and I hope she  will appreciate it later. :-) Next time I would definitely put a small jingle bell inside to make the toy more attractive for babies.