Knit Blue Kangaroo now available at CreativeCritters

Over the last few years I've knit several different blue kangaroos for a variety of customers, but haven't had one listed in my shop as a regular item.  Most customers learned about my blue kangaroos from my Gallery of past work.  The last knit kangaroo I created was headed all the way to Australia!  I developed my own knitting pattern for these kangaroos and have adapted it several times over as I found new ways to improve the design.  I just listed this cute kangaroo in CreativeCritters today.  I'm not sure how long she'll last- they seem to sell pretty quickly!

I used soft and silky Homespun yarn in Montana Sky Blue for the body and Waterfall for the belly.  I really love Homespun yarn because it's so soft and has such a nice texture when you knit with it.  Anyone who does a lot of knitting or crocheting knows that it's a real pleasure to work with a good quality yarn, and of course it creates a very soft and cuddly stuffed animal.

For this particular kangaroo I completely revamped my old pattern and got pretty creative as I knit.  This is one of the reasons most of the items in my shop are one of a kind creations- I always seem to end up changing how I make them, even if I start out following a pattern.  I guess it's just the artist in me- LOL. 

This particular kangaroo ended up with a lot of personality!  Sometimes these things just sort of seem to happen on their own.  I had a general idea of how I wanted her to look, but really didn't know how she would turn out until I had most of the parts sewn on.  And as always, the true personality really came out once I added her eyes, nose, and ears. 

I used gray fleece fabric for the nose, which is lightly stuffed and securely sewn on.  I used the same fleece behind the eyes, which are black plastic safety eyes, making this safe for children.  I stuffed the kangaroo softly with polyester fiberfill, with the goal of keeping her very soft and cuddly.  Adults and children will both love giving this cute stuffed animal a big hug!  I may be all grown up myself, but I still love to cuddle up with a soft stuffed animal.  I think there are some things we just never grow out of!
If you're interested in purchasing this blue kangaroo just click on any of the pictures to be taken to the listing in my shop.  And if you're looking for something in a different size or color combination, just email me at macreativecritters@gmail.com with your request.  I can also create a variety of other stuffed animals.  If fact, I'm currently working on a knit dragon right now (and this is definitely a challenging project!).
Thanks for sharing the creative cuteness once again!

~Michelle of CreativeCritters

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Sometimes the old tools work the best

So how many of you have seen one of these before?  If it hadn't been for Gramma, I wouldn't even know this useful device existed.  It's a vintage money counter and Gramma used to use it when she went shopping to keep track of her grocery bill so she stayed within her budget.  I remember going shopping with her as a little girl, and sometimes she'd even let me tally up the dollars and cents, which is a big deal to a 5 year old!  Amazingly this thing still works well and I now use it as a row counter when I'm knitting.  Before I rediscovered this handy tool while sorting through Gramma's things I used to keep track of my rows on a piece of paper, which was a bit of a pain.  This is so much easier!

Right now I working on a blue knit kangaroo like this one for a customer in Australia.

 

I really enjoy knitting, especially cute critters like this one, and not having to stress about how many rows I've knit makes the process that much more enjoyable.  

I have all sorts of vintage tools in my craft arsenal, many of which were never intended to be used the way I use them now- LOL.  I do find that many of those vintage items work a lot better than some of the tools you purchase today.  Back then, things were built to last!  I think Gramma has had this Handy Counter since the '70s, and she used it all the time, yet it's still in perfect working order.  I have tools I bought a year ago that are already broken.  Sorta makes you wonder what ever happen to quality craftsmanship.  I know when I make an item I make it as durable as possible.  This kangaroo, for example, is knit with a very tight stitch using high quality yarn and is sewn together very securely and stuffed with soft non-bunching fiberfil.  I want my sculptures, stuffed animals, jewelry, and home decor to be around for years to come!

So if you come across a vintage item and are thinking of getting rid of it, give a second look and see if you can't find a use for it ;)

Thanks for stopping by!

~Michelle of CreativeCritters

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