Yesterday’s game was bear parts (read that carefully!) and by knit night I had all the parts for a Bertie Bear not the usual Bertie he is small and cute. 
Here at Red Apple we are inclined to enlarge. As customers might know the window of the Old Post Office is at least 4m long and 2m high and to cap it all, it starts at waist height. Good for privacy if you are PO not so easy to furnish with small things like balls of wool. It also has small panes so making a display is a challenge. Small bears like Bertie need numbers to make an impact which is time consuming even though they are quiet easy to make or …….
Enlargement ….we have tried this before with a lovely pattern for DK wool called Bramble bunny from Cameron James Designs ( see Ravelry page) with much success. They are always being picked up and cuddled not always by small people either!
We used a Super Chunky Brisith wool Big Brit that knits to 10mm patterns (9st x 12rows) and used 6mm or 8mm needles ( we have 2 ) to get the dense fabric you need for toys. So the proportions worked out, I know a bit hit and miss but the shaping toys is fiddly to do and with toys anyway it is worth a try…..
Well off I set with a Bertie Big Brit and 8mm needles, I have made Bertie before and the pieces grew…. and grew .
Small Bertie is 24cm on 3mm needles… and grew….
His/her body is 40cm long, the arms are 25cm long??? The features are small stitches which on a small bear look neat – on a big face …? and the small Berties legs are pivoted on lengths of yarn. Big Bertie is currently pinned together with big knitting needles which work very well as a pivot but are not very cuddly
The big probelm when its sewn up will be getting it to sit!!! Back to construction and an update to follow
After thinking about it I went for button joints and several lengths of dk wool. The stuffing is wool too, so it should hold and it isn’t a toy so I didn’t need to pull the legs with weights to check they won’t come off!!
The character of any toy sort of grows with the making and a face is always tricky. Berties pattern has clothes and is a boy bear. But will have to play with the sizes now he is finished. His arms are a little long but that might deminish with clothes. I went with his need to lean over and a slight inclination to look Koala and I have considered a sterotype G’dayBruce as a name but maybe thats for another day…. after I’ve made some pants!
