raggedy bunny

So, while I was knitting my noro socks, I got thinking to myself, what is it about this yarn that makes it so popular? Or even, what is it about the cute Japanese designs I've seen all over the blogosphere that people love so much? Then, how can I use these design elements in a new toy, that's different from the style of my previous toys?

Big questions to answer, and I didn't answer them fully, but I thought of a couple of things what would be useful to me. What I really like about the Noro Kureyon yarn is the combination of texture and the almost random selection of colour. Somehow the most unlikely colours would look good next to each other, just because the whole sock was so lovely overall. That got me to thinking about the tub-full of left-over yarn I have from all the toys I've made. Most toys take less that a 50g ball, but there usually isn't enough left over for another toy. All those partial balls have been piling up for the last 2 years!

Then I thought, if I'm making a toy from scraps of yarn, maybe it should look like a doll made from scraps of fabric, that is, a rag-doll. So I drew a quick sketch, giving the toy longer arms, legs, and body so it would look different from my other bunnies. I also decided to reshape all the pieces. I made the arms and legs attach in a way that would make them floppy. I redistributed the shaping on the body, and gave it a flat bum so it would sit better. The head got bigger cheeks, and the shaping of the ears is a little different.


The first prototype I decided to make in neutral tones to keep it simpler, and because I had yarns in some great textures that I wanted to use. It took me a few weeks to finish him, which is mostly due to Lev keeping me busy, rather than the design being difficult to work out. In fact, pretty much every part turned out just how I wanted on the first try!

So here he is, as yet without a name. I think he turned out pretty darn cute! Next up is to make a puppy from the same design, since I think it would just be a matter of slightly different nose and ears. Then both would be available in the same pattern.


edit: I'm participating in Fiber Arts Fridays, hosted by Alpaca Farm Girl. For anyone new to my blog, here's some useful links (which can also been found in my right sidebar)
Etsy, Lulu, Ravelry, Flickr