Susan...

Pretty early on, I had no clue who one designer was from the next. For almost two years I stuck to the scarf pattern I knew and loved. The gauge and yarn may change, but the project never did. Even experimentation with fiber choice was kept to a minimum. That quickly changed when I purchased Itty Bitty Hats.

While it is rather presumptuous of me to call Susan B. Anderson by her first name, I've knit so many of her hats/projects I feel like I know her. I bought Itty Bitty Hats shortly after it was released and consequently fell in love with "the hat". It even gave me a enough courage to branch out into eventually sweaters and other "shaped" items.

A while back, I was wondering if she had any other patterns or books published. I discovered her blog and have been an avid reader since. To my delight and surprise, while I waited patiently for Itty Bitty Nursery to be in print, she shared a few or her patterns.

This is my Elefante. He is made from some generic acrylic yarn that my mom sent me a while back, and stuffed with buttons and fiber fill. Not the most eco-friendly little guy, but a wonderful teaching tool. My husband aptly named him Crayon. Today he lives all the way around the world in India with one of my dearly missed coworkers who is anxiously awaiting the birth of her first child.


I made a second striped one of from two shades of red peaches and cream cotton, but was so anxious to get him to a friend, I forgot to take a picture of him. Maybe after his owner's birth I'll get a chance to snap a shot.

This is a fantastic pattern for someone who wants to experiment with making toys and other playful objects. Honestly, my least favorite part was sewing them together because I was so impatient to see the finished project. Individual parts knits up super fast and the pattern is delightfully simple to read. As a note, most of my adult friends who have seen them want one. They are a bit hard to part with.


Susan also shared her bootie pattern. I'll admit, save my hats, this is my most knitted project. These were made from some scrap RedHeart Super Saver, and I modified the gauge for a slightly larger yarn on size 8 needle. These fit my one year old niece.
I've also made them from anything from lave weight mohair to bulky acrylic. While the gauge is sometimes a pain, they are adorable every time.

Sometimes, if the fiber seems too bulky, I'll alter the pattern so that they are made of two pieces, rather than three. I use one full square and a triangle for the heel. While this is rather tricky, and normally takes two or three attempts to make the "perfect" triangle, this bootie comes out looking just the same.


**Both patterns are available on Susan's blog, http://www.susanbanderson.blogspot.com/