Finished: Baby E's Robot
The Specs:
Pattern: Robot from "Unusual Toys for you to Knit and Enjoy," by Jess Hutchison.
Yarn: Sugar 'n Cream worsted cotton in Teal, Pumpkin, and Sunshine and some Bernat Cottontots in Lime Berry.
Needles: size 6 bamboo for the body, size 4 bamboo dpns for the antenna.
Start to finish: April 4 - April 7.
For: Little Nephew E. (and this isn’t the end of it yet…)
Notes:
Rae had mentioned a few times to me that she really liked Spherey, the other toy I’ve knitted from this pamphlet, so as soon as she and Natey announced that they were going to have a baby boy visions of little knitted robots started dancing through my head. Still, I waited until two days before we were going to see the new baby to start it. I guess that fits with the procrastination theme I’ve got going on here lately. I’m nothing if not consistent.
Yarn:
I wasn’t too impressed with the selection of worsted wool I had around the apartment (most of it got used up in the Great Christmas Korknisse Adventure of 2006) so I dipped into the kitchen cotton stash instead. I had lots of bright colors to choose from and the stuff is washable. Can’t beat that right?
Mods:
The biggest mod to the pattern was to go down two needle sizes. I wanted to knit the cotton fairly tightly since it’s less forgiving than wool and I didn’t want sloppy intarsia. Besides, the finished toy as written is pretty large (9”x10,” not counting the antenna) which is pretty big when you think about how tiny newborns are. We will choose to ignore, for the time being, that newborns have absolutely no interest in knitted robots.
Like with Spherey, I embroidered the eyes for added baby-safety.
New Techniques:
Intarsia? Turns out that it’s not so bad after all. The last time I tried it I failed miserably. I’m sure that it had nothing to do with the fact that I was attempting an octopus. In acrylic.
Final Verdict: Love it! I think Rae still wants a Spherey though.
Comments
He's adorable. I really need to get me that Unusual Toys book.
Posted by: Kaity | April 12, 2007 1:13 PM
Intarsia.. must attempt! The robot rocks!
Posted by: yaiAnn | April 12, 2007 1:52 PM
So very cute!
Posted by: Kristy | April 12, 2007 2:01 PM
Oh he looks so great! And so... serious somehow. A trustworthy friend for sure.
Posted by: terhi | April 12, 2007 2:28 PM
I've been mulling over getting Jess's book, but your blog post has convinced me! Thanks! Very cute robot, I'm sure Baby E will love it. He may not be interested in it at first, but guaranteed, at about 3 months, he will smile at it and reach for it and try to put it in his mouth (a sign of true love and affection). It worked with our 4 month old and his knitted bear :)
Posted by: Bea Apple | April 12, 2007 2:28 PM
wish that book was still in available-- such a cute robot!!
Posted by: rohanknitter | April 12, 2007 3:14 PM
oooo..He is adorable!
Posted by: beckie | April 12, 2007 3:18 PM
Oh, I love it! My lys is offering a class on knitted toys and I think I must take it, especially after seeing your cute robot!
Posted by: Sabrina | April 12, 2007 4:13 PM
Ha, I love it! I really need to make one of these! So cute.
Posted by: Kim | April 12, 2007 4:23 PM
He is so precious!!
Posted by: Risa | April 12, 2007 4:26 PM
It's sooo cute!! I love the colors you chose and i actually like the embroidered eyes a lot better than the plastic. Good idea going down a needle size, I did mine in acrylic and I think it could have really used the extra tightness. How did you seam the top of the head and shoulders? Tt looks good, mine came out wonky.
Posted by: Julia | April 12, 2007 5:10 PM
Lucky nephew! I really like the colors of the robot too. I keep hoping that the pamphlet will be made available again, I missed out on the fun...
Posted by: nova | April 12, 2007 6:19 PM
He's adorable!
Posted by: elizabeth | April 12, 2007 6:47 PM
I NEED that book. Stat. Despite the fact that I have very few children in my life.
Posted by: Moe | April 12, 2007 7:07 PM
I love it! I looove the colors you used. Too much cute. And can I just say bravo for mastering the mysterious art of intarsia?
Posted by: Kim | April 12, 2007 7:32 PM
i love the robot. sugar n cream sounds like a great substitute. i'll definitely have to give it a go.
Posted by: maryse | April 12, 2007 8:54 PM
So cute! The sugar n cream worked out so nicely... love those bright colors!
Posted by: laura b | April 12, 2007 9:20 PM
Absolutely brilliant! I think it is great :-D
Have a nice weekend!
Posted by: Supernøtt | April 13, 2007 3:41 AM
I too am dissapointed that the book is out of print. I saw this robot on the cover of CRAFT and just would love to give it a try!
Posted by: Stephanie | April 13, 2007 9:22 AM
i love the colors you used -- great for a little baby boy! i knit two for my cousin's little boys, and they're still beating each other over the head with them.
Posted by: carrie m | April 13, 2007 9:34 AM
that is so cute!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: stacey | April 13, 2007 9:46 AM
Intarsia robot! Intarsia! Robot!
Eeeeeeeeeee!
(Which is all to say, that's a fantastic toy--great job!)
Posted by: Amy | April 13, 2007 10:35 AM
I love it too!!!
Posted by: isel | April 13, 2007 11:44 AM
Love him in the cotton! I really need to make one of those toys- have had the book for a while.
Posted by: frecklegirl jess | April 13, 2007 4:52 PM
The robot looks great! And a good way to use up cotton scraps!
Posted by: Elinor | April 13, 2007 7:22 PM
Love the robot! Such fun color choices! I'm sure it will be treasured.
Posted by: Pam | April 13, 2007 8:29 PM
Yay for robots! I love how this one turned out, the colors are fantastic and it was obviously made with love and care. Great job!
Posted by: Faith | April 14, 2007 10:53 PM
Your robot turned out super cute! I have one in progress, and I need to bust a move to finish it. I agree that going down a couple of needle sizes is necessary - it helps to prevent the stuffing from showing through, too.
Posted by: kelp! | April 16, 2007 12:12 AM
Love it! is so cute and the colors are great too. Good call with the needles, the intarasia looks perfect!
Posted by: Navi | April 17, 2007 3:03 AM
Great robot! The colours are so good together!
Posted by: Lin | April 17, 2007 8:23 AM
i love this pattern - and yours turned out super cute.
I made one for my godsons bday, and then had to make one immediately after for his brother. Boys love robots.
Posted by: lomester | April 17, 2007 1:03 PM
I love the robot! I wish that she still printed that book.
Posted by: Oiyi | April 18, 2007 3:00 AM
We should stage a protest to demand a reprint... I'm kidding of course but I have been lusting after that book for sooooo long. I don't even need a reprinting, she could just sell the pdfs, that would make me super happy :)
Anybody wanna suggest it to her? ;D
Posted by: Mary | April 18, 2007 10:43 AM