Snips and Snails

I finished the Pile-able Pups! I’m off work this week, so I had time to knit pretty steadily over the past few days. There are a lot of weird roadblocks with these – remembering how to do all those little things that you only do every once in a while – sewing on toy limbs, embroidering, seaming horizontal onto vertical fabric, etc. But, boy, oh boy was it fun. I kept giggling to myself as I finished them up. Luckily, I finished while there was just enough afternoon winter daylight left to get a few pictures. My unpile-able pups were running around outside, and I hoped they might be interested enough that I could get them in a picture, but a squirrel put in an appearance and they had other priorities.

Some things I might have done differently: I don’t see why you couldn’t keep the stitches live across the opening and Kitchener stitch it closed after stuffing it. I don’t really mind sewing a cast-on edge to a bound-off edge, but it does put that little ridge under the fabric. Maybe it helps with stability? Also, I wish my picked-up edges were neater and tidier. That might have to do with the extra tight tension I used so that the stuffing wouldn’t show through. Perhaps if I’d not tensed up so much around the edge stitches they wouldn’t appear slightly puckered like they do.

My Pile-able Pups are pretty roly-poly and not as box-like as I expected. I was a bit dismayed that they didn’t seem pile-able at all right after sewing up the bodies. In fact, they were about as pile-able as three Russet potatoes. Others’ I’ve seen on Ravelry seem much more like bricks. I suppose that’s where the legs come in. If it weren’t for them, there wouldn’t be any piling with these three fat puppies – or “less active” as it says on the dog food bags – as if dogs would have their feelings hurt by advertising copy.

I hope little H.J., due in a few months, enjoys playing with these little guys as much as I enjoyed making them.

And I hope he likes green.