knitabit

Rudolph-1 completed

Well, here's the first reindeer bootie:

It was a quick project - I started after dinner and had it done by 9:00 or so. I'll whip up the other one tonight.

I made the bootie pretty much as instructed, except with these changes:

• I used a cheapie Red Heart acrylic sport weight yarn in a tan sort of color
• I changed the nose from two embroidered nostrils to a red pom-pom
• On the nose decreases, I used the proper purl decreases to get symmetry (the pattern calls for p2tog on both sides of the nose; I changed it to p2tog on the first decrease, and then slip-slip-p2togtbl on the second decrease)
• For the antlers, I used a double thickness of felt and blanket-stitched them together
• I used a tubular cast-off to make a smooth top edge

I do not like the shape of the bootie. The sole is too narrow and the cuff is too small in proportion to the foot. (And what is with that pointy stitch on the sole underneath his nose? It's a m1 increase gone bad, I think. And there's a tension problem on the left side of the nose - it looks sort of gap-y.) But I expect that these booties are so impractical (the baby's going to be reaching for the antlers and the nose and possibly destroying them or worse yet, getting them worked loose and into his mouth) that they'll only be worn maybe once or twice. I've just convinced myself to enclose a little note about safety when I wrap these up for mailing.

I think this is one of those "it's the thought that counts" kind of gifts.

Comments

Like it or not, I think those are destined to be heirloom booties. They are going to be adorable. (How about a pair for chili-bingo? *grin*)

Those are just about the cutest things I've seen this year.

Posted by: Patricia Tryon at October 2, 2004 12:15 PM