So Much Fun!

My brother and his wife had a baby this past Thursday. It's my first nephew, so I wanted to make him something special--I have booties and the Baby Surprise Jacket and a baby blanket in my queue at Ravelry, but nothing was jumping out at me. The booties I thought were cute seemed too girly, and I didn't want to buy Elizabeth Zimmerman's book just for one pattern (I will at some point, I just wasn't ready to do it now.) So I browsed some more and I found just the thing: Enter Elijah

(isn't it ADORABLE?!?)

This little elephant is perfect. My brother and his wife and baby live a couple thousand miles away from me, so I'll probably only get to see them once a year. I hope that it will be a favorite toy that he'll carry around with him all over the place. If I'd done something to wear, he'll have outgrown it before we can say "boo!"

I've never made a knitted toy before--this is fun! It's going so quickly; I've already finished the head and probably a third of the body. I still have the arms and legs and ears and then embroider the eyes, but I think I can definitely have this done by the time I go out to visit in April.

I definitely want one for myself. When I was at the yarn store today getting the yarn for the baby's Elijah, I saw they had some Rowan Calmer on sale at 40% off. It's a pretty color, kind of greenish-gray, and it will make a cute little elephant. Mine will have those little plastic bead things in its legs and arms and bottom that make it a little heavier and floppier. I didn't want to use them on the baby's; I wouldn't want them to be able to work their way out of the softie and into his mouth!