Pattern: George the Dog, from the book Knitted Animal Friends by Louise Crowther
Materials: Scheepjes Stone-Washed yarn, various colours; Black safety eyes
I can honestly say this is my favourite thing I’ve ever made in all my years of knitting. He’s so darn cute it physically hurts.
It all began as a request for a plush for a friend’s son. She told me his favourite colours were green and purple, and selected the pattern from my trusty Knitted Animal Friends book. I’d previously purchased a full range of mini-skeins of Scheepjes’ Stone Washed and River Washed yarns, so I pulled every green and purple I could find from the box and started planning.
The patterns created by Louise Crowther make for charming albeit lanky animal dolls, including the squirrel doll I documented in a previous post. However, my vision for this dog was to be a bit more on the stout side, so I improvised on the instructions for the torso, arms, legs, and tail – skipping a few repeating rows to make for a shorter frame. Thus, Pudge was born.
My friend’s son also has autism, so I wanted to create a nice sensory experience for him. When I stuffed the belly, I sewed a small pouch and filled it with rice, adding some wonderful weight and texture.
I’m honoured to have brought this stuffed companion to life for a lovely mother and son. Although I will miss Pudge when he’s gone, so I think I’ll have to make one of these dolls for myself next!