Spud!

Look who's knitting Spud!  It's me!  This is Spud from the book Spud & Chloe at the Farm by Susan B. Anderson.  Actually, I think of Susan B. Anderson as the queen of knitted toys.  My mom has even flow across the country under the guise of visiting my sister so that she could take a class on knitted toys by Susan B. Anderson.  Okay, she was really visiting my sister and it just so happened that Susan was teaching a class that same weekend!  All that is to say, if you get a chance to take a class by Susan B. Anderson, then I suggest you take that class - she's a great teacher.  

Back to Spud.  Spud is the next KAL in the summer knit along series we are doing at Park Avenue Yarns.  I got the idea for this KAL from a fellow friend/knitter and have been looking forward to starting this KAL for sometime.  The last time I knit a toy was when I first started knitting and I haven't knit one since.  I'm not sure why because knitting toys are a lot of fun!  The next best thing about toys? They don't require a lot of yarn!

For Spud you need the following: 3 skeins of Spud & Chloe Sweater in colors Ice Cream #7500, Toast #7506, & Firecracker #7509.  Spud is knit using US size 4 double pointed needles.  Since I didn't have size 4 dpns, I consulted my mom as to what length dpns I needed.  She said that Susan B. Anderson (um, apparently I just can't write Susan and need to write her full name) uses 6 inch dpns for all her toy knitting.  I ended up getting a pair of US size 4 6" Karbonz dpns.  Why the Karbonz?  I thought that having a sharp point would be good for knitting the toy, though I'm not really finding it all that necessary for this particular toy.  However, I can now say that I've tried all forms of the Karbonz needles - circular, single point, & double pointed needles.  I can't remember if I've given a review of a Karbonz needles, but if not, then I will work on writing one :o)

P.S. Susan B. Anderson doesn't only design toys!  She has lots of other wonderful designs.  You can check out all of her designs on her Ravelry designer page here: Susan B. Anderson Designs. She also has a great blog.