Wednesday, August 11, 2010

a post in which i reveal a bit too much of my childhood self

When I was a little girl, I had a kitten that was black with white paws. Most people would have named it Socks, Boots, Mittens, you know, something along those lines. I called my kitten Whitey Paws. I'm blushing as I type this and wondering why on earth I'm telling you this.

Unfortunately, my naming skills haven't gotten any better with time (which is why I'm thankful that Susan names most of my quilts) and my daughter seems to be following in my footsteps. (Poor short girl, LOL!!!) I knit up this new little friend yesterday. We should have named it before she could.

Meet Yarn Bear.

It's a good thing he's cute. He's going to need all the help he can get with a name like that. Can you imagine how the kids at school are going to make fun of him?

The cutie pattern is here. I'm planning on making a whole passel of yarn friends. They are a little fiddley, but soooooooo worth it!

After lunch, I found Yarn Bear in the living room with little A's beloved blankie posed just like this. Isn't that so stinkin' adorable? I love it when my kids love what I make. They can't wait to each have one (or ten) of their own. They are smitten and so am I.

Modifications:

For the arms and legs I cast on 7 stitches rather than 4. I knit 12 rows for the legs and 9 rows for the arms.

I knit the body in the round on double pointed needles. Next time I plan to knit it flat and sew up the seams as directed in the pattern. Being a novice knitter I had a few problems with color changes and holes in the back.

64 comments:

Leslie said...

this is so precious

Emma said...

It could have been worse...I had a teddy bear named. . . "Bearish"

Live a Colorful Life said...

Too cute. And the name is funny.

Terry said...

Cute bear! I like the name! Then again our cat is named "Kitty"! LOL

Kimberly Whispell said...

Adorable! I named my first dog (a chihuahua) "Little Girl"... Everyone laughed at first, but the name definitely stuck!

Annalia said...

What a great bear!

I don't know that I could have come up with anything better. Stripes? Yep, I think yarn bear is best.

Shannon said...

We have several horses that live next door - Beigy, Whitey, Blackey and Spots. I only hope for their sake that their actual owners are not 5 years old and that their real names are somewhat better.

silversmith said...

at least you name quilts.... mine are super original - like QOV #1. and i've only named one quilt really. plus, i have a hard time giving my illustrations titles too.

my brother used to name all of his stuffed bears (and other animals) after himself. it was great when he'd ask "where's jonathan bear?" and you had to pull all 4 of them out.

Katherine said...

Yarn bear is adorable! You're a hoot thinking that you're "naming challenged". ;o)

Maybe you'll feel better after hearing my story. My guys never name things and they find me a bit weird because I do (like naming our old house Edith). Although, I do remember my oldest coming up with a name for a neighbour... the man across the street was balding and in a patchy kind of way. He was tagged with "Tufty". Literal naming is cute for stuffies and pets, but I'm sure the neighbour wouldn't have found his new moniker so charming. LOL

Anonymous said...

Pssssht, hat's nothing. When I was little I named my dog Pinto Beans. I'm serious.

melissa said...

Yarn bear is so cute!
Thank you for sharing the link to this pattern. I've been wanting to organize some donations for Bears on Patrol and this is perfect!

erinmalia said...

don't feel alone in being "naming challenged." my husband and i both suffer from it and therefore our dog's toys have names like "red dog." my nephew also has the disease; it manifested itself when he named their parakeet, "parakeet bearakeet." awesome.

Amanda said...

he's cute! I'm also always stumped at naming toys. my A just calls everything doll, doll, and doll. there's also the occasional puppy, baby puppy, monkey, and bear, of course. haha...

Hannah said...

Yarn Bear is cute!

The naming sounds like my son. His only creative name was his little beanie baby monkey named Mimi (when he first started talking). Since then, his stuffed animals go by an adjective (describing them) followed by the animal type: Sad Puppy (a bulldog), Happy Puppy, Lion Puppy (he has fuzzy ears), Little Puppy (who is not the littlest puppy in the toy box, that would be Cute Puppy), Little Giraffe, Baby Giraffe, and the list goes on.

Kristen said...

What a cutie! You crack me up! I had a red bear named Reddy Bear when I was little. My kids have Bear and Dollie. :)

Donna said...

Whitey Paws? I love it! My childhood cat was a very large, yellow tiger stipped Tom - he loved the lady cats & had a reputation of being "King" of the neighborhood cat world. His very appropriate name was BUTTERCUP.

Regina said...

I love hearing what kids will name things. I was curious so I asked my 4 year old son what he would name yarn bear. He thought about it and said Doanit. (rhymes with Joan with "it" at the end) Now the other day he was given a baby doll that he named Doan so I'm assuming this must mean little baby to him. ;)

We also have a fish he named Carnival (we won him at the carnival) and a fish named Kachow (also won at the carnival).

Yarn bear is very cute by the way. I wish I could make something like him. I tried to make a new pair of socks but my casting onto small needles was frustrating me this time around. I'll stick with sewing for a while.

Libby said...

I LOVE Yarn Bear!!

Karen said...

Amanda, don't be embarrassed! I love the name you gave your bear! Very sweet!

I love the pattern...thanks for the link to the pattern!

Hugs, Karen

peaknits said...

Yarn Bear is adorable right down to his very-easy-to-remember name!:) Adorable!

Theresa said...

I haven't got a problem with whitey paws or yarn bear! I reckon you girls tell it like it is and what's wrong with that? Lovely post.

Anna R said...

so cute! Makes me wish I could knit!!

jess said...

I LOVE that bear.
Dude. That post could have been from me. (esp. the short part. ;) I had two cats until recently- white cat and gray cat, aptly named. I have a clown named clowny, and a lamb named lamby. And a blanket- puppet crocheted guy named blankie guy.

Audrie said...

Heehee Yarn Bear's a cutie! I started chuckling and ran to tell my husband... he's now going "Why Yarn Bear!?" lol! I think it's adorable :) I've named my pets and stuffed animals very odd names too.

wordmama said...

My son was the same way. The stuffed tiger was called "Tigery" and the giraffe "Girrafey". I don't know how he does it!

Bellgirl said...

My nephew names his hens Brownie and Dave. He insists Brownie is a boy ;)

Bellgirl said...

...and I just remembered that I had a toy panda when I was little that I called Percy Gander. Kind of Spoonerish, I think!

Needled Mom said...

Aww... so sweet.

Char said...

Well Yarn Bear is certainly adorable. Congratulations, I can't knit, I've tried. But I do crochet.

Thimbleanna said...

It's adorable CrazyMom. Apparently we have goofy naming in common -- when my youngest was about 4, we got a new kitty and he insisted that we name it Rocking Chair. He absolutely would not give in and threw a huge fit. So, we officially named the cat Rocking Chair. And then later, she became Rocky 'cause it was a little embarrassing.

carol said...

That's nothing! When my husband was little he had an ugly bear named Michael, so guess what our first born son's name ended up to be? You guessed it, Michael! So, hopefully your darling daughter won't name her first born, Yarn Bear. LOL

Anita said...

Yarn Bear is cute! My naming skills are on about the same level as yours. Do you think Susan would be willing to help me out once in awhile? :P

Mama Urchin said...

so cute, the story and the bear

Nancy Near Philadelphia said...

If I could knit, I'd be makin' my grandbabies Yarn Bears of their own. Great creation, great name.

Andy said...

haha - Yarn Bear. That's great! He's so cute, it makes me wish I could knit. Maybe I should learn (not that I need another hobby...)

Anonymous said...

Please name him "yarn bear", it's a fantastic name, especially knowing the story behind his name.

Natalia from Piece N Quilt said...

I think he's darling and yarn bear is cute! :) So practical!!

Cheryl Arkison said...

You are far too hard on yourself!
I'm still waiting for the girls to truly appreciate the stuff I make.

Marjorie said...

At one of my friend's house, all pets are named Bob. Bob the Cat. Bob the Dog. Bob the Rabbit. Keeps it easy to remember I suppose...

Lee D said...

my son's teddy bear was named Teddy, daughter's doll, Dolly, other daughter's teddy, Teddy and dog Doggy....how original, but when they were two they did't know other names!

cheryl said...

love it! And his name too! He would be so named in these parts as well :)

Coleen said...

my youngest named the cat "cow"... it could be worse, at least your little one knows what animal it is. ha!

Theresa said...

A PS to my previous post. I forgot tell you that my sister had a doll named 6 months. 6 months lives with us now and my little girl never even questioned her name!

Locket Pocket said...

So gorgeous! And the name is perfect! Lucy x

Maria said...

Yarn Bear is so cute!!

Sandra said...

Cute bear! When my daughter was 4, she named a doll "greeny weeny" because it had a green dress. lol! Kids are too funny!

Katie said...

It's nice to see so many others have trouble naming pets. We have feral (truly wild) barn cats and since I can't figure out if they're girls or boys, they get generic names, but that doesn't make it any easier. So the tabby with a white patch on her nose (I know now she's a girl) is Patch. I suppose the funniest part was the day my hubby pointed out that Patch had a white patch on her nose. Um. Yes. And Yarn Bear is so adorable, I'm tempted to go learn to knit!

KateKwiltz said...

How cute is that?

When I was three, I had a stuffed houndstooth scotty dog I named "Checkers-lovakia."

I love the name Yarn Bear -- he's not afraid to admit what he's really made of. :)

Timi said...

I like Yarn Bear! He is soooo lovely!

The Fat Kid said...

I have a bear named Ted. E. Bear, so you aren't alone! Too stinkin' cute for words!!!!

Terriaw said...

I love this post! So fun to get a look inside your memories and creations... and process too. Yarn bear is so adorable! I think making softies and handmade stuffed animals can be so much fun.

lera said...

We are creative-name deficient in our family, too. Yarn Bear is adorable and you did a fantastic job.

JHNickodemus said...

Yarn Bear is the best. I might have to make one for my sister who is 21 and STILL swipes clothes I knit for babies for her bears.

Anonymous said...

You think Yarn Bear is bad? My neice has three dolls. When I asked what the baby's name was, she told me "Baby 2" What are the names of the other dollies? Baby one and Baby three! I fear for her future children! LOL! I think Yarn Bear isn't so bad! Where do you find the time to do all you do? Love that you are back! You make my day! By the way our cat's name is Mouse!

Kim said...

ahhh how adorable.
Is there anything you can't do?
You are a very talented lady!

Happy sewing, knitting, designing, quilting.........etc. :0)

Wendi said...

Yarn Bear is adorable and has a most perfect name : )

Xandi said...

I know what you mean. Our dogs' toys are named "long guy", "sheep guy", etc.

Selina said...

hehe, Whitey Paws. That totally reminded me of one of my childhood kittens, Snowy Black. Yes, she was black and white, how did you guess? Seems we have the same affliction. Yarn Bear is gorgeous.

Melissa said...

My sister, who had a cat exactly as described, named her cat just that...socks, mittens, boots!

KulaMom said...

that bear is the cutest. wow. and I love your daughter's name for it, so perfect. :)

me me me said...

Love it! We have an "Orange Rabbit" here at our house. We also have fish named spiderman and batman and shrimp named princess and tinkerbell. We had a male bunny named tinkerbell as well as another male bunny named Ariel. Our cat is named Digga because our daughter couldnt say here kitty kitty kitty- she would say here gadiggadiggadigga. Gotta love things that are obviously named by kids (especially when you can tell the gender that named them ).

Mama Spark said...

Just so you know...my DD2 had a baby doll that she insisted on naming EXY and Z! None of us knew or know why, including her! Gotta love kids, right??

Rebekah said...

adorable bear!

I am totally cracking up at the "whitey paws" name :)

AnyoneCanQuilt said...

Yarn Bear is the perfect name!! When my daughter was little and got her first bear at Build-a-Bear Workshop she named it...Build a Bear Workshop. Then there was the time she named her Easter Bunny "Crap". She thought she made that clever name up. Good times. :)