A Birthday Bunny and Bunting (for a boy!)

For this we have to go back, way back, to October and my nephew's 3rd birthday.  I had a couple of things planned, and as usual had let time inexplicably get away from me.  After one extremely late night, a few almost tears, that working on crafts that late at night always seems to do to me, and a crippled unusable claw of a hand the next day, I managed to produce some birthday bunting that I really wanted him to have in time for his birthday to hang up. 

I love bunting, but hate taking pictures of it.  They never seem to do it justice. 

The lettering is secured with Bondaweb and kept in place with a running stitch with embroidery thread in a colour matching that of the flag that letter is on, a second triangle is placed on the back and secured with a running stitch in white embroidery thread. You might not think to look at it, and I never thought it would, but that hand stitching took forever.  I never thought doing a simple running stitch would be so time consuming.  And hand stitching through 2, layers of felt is tough going.  I had an unusable 80 year olds, arthritic claw as a hand for a day or two after.  But the results are unique.  And stunning.  I love it (I don't, however, love the machine stitching job connecting them all with the cotton tape across the top.  It's adequate, but not perfect, enough said!  There's a little voice in me simply dying to ask for it back so I can quickly, a-hem, re-do it, but that's my neurosis).  The joy of such a gift is that it will be reusable year after year, for all birthdays, and will hopefully become part of a family birthday tradition, be much used, loved and remembered for years to come.  A practical, reusable gift is my sort of gift. 

The second gift got sent down about a week later.  I had recently received my first brightly coloured bundle of Rico Creative Cotton and had been looking forward to using those coloured cottons on something I hadn't tried out yet, amigurumi.  I wanted to make something suitable for a growing boy but still relatively simple for a beginner, and settled on the Ugly Bunny Pincushion pattern by wayuki that can be found on Ravelry.  As I was using aran weight cotton, I used a 3.5mm hook size, which would be small enough to keep the fabric tight and compact.  It was a great result, but it is hard work.  And needless to say it can all get a bit fiddly and frustrating when you get to the smaller sections.

It is all sewn and crocheted which should make for a safer toy, as there is a younger sister on the scene.  I am very pleased with my first attempt at amigurumi.  They really come alive as you make them, and this dude certainly looks like he's got bags of character.  It really can be quite tough to let them go at the end of the process.  But let him out into the big world I did.  Then I realised that a 3 year old might not quite understand why he was a getting what may look like a reject toy with wonky ears and a missing eye!  (Apparently some questions where raised, but seemingly satisfactorily answered).

Details

Pattern: Ugly Bunny Pincushion by wayuki on Ravelry

Hook: 3.5mm

Yarn: Rico Design Creative Cotton Aran

Shade: 41 Pistachio

Price: approx £2.00

(50g = £1.50, approx 37g used = £1.11, plus filling and embroidery thread)

Lets not mention the cushion cover I am making him that's still sitting in my basket.  They know me well enough by now.

Peace Out x