by Rebecca Danger. This book has paid for itself many times over in the pleasure it has brought. My nephew decided at Christmas that he wanted a collection of monsters, once he knew that there was a book of them. How can I resist such appreciation for my work?This time I decided to try a different shaped monster, one that sat down. I chose Bea The Basement Monster. The recipient got a small sized monster at Christmas so I decided that a good sized monster was called for. Bea, is around 12" tall when knit in worsted weight yarn.
I used Cascade 220 Superwash again, as it is a brilliant yarn for knitting toys in. It's bouncy, soft and comes in great colours, and of course there is the superwash thing! This monster is knit in 7 parts. The main body and base is knit in one and then there are legs, arms and ears. Because the monster is is a decent size, the smaller elements aren't that fiddly. As this was a different design from ones I'd previously done I had to think a little bit whilst putting it together.
First off, the eyes are fixed to the body. I used 12mm safety eyes. I love how these eyes reflect light and give more life and character to the toy than plain fabric or sewn eyes. Next the legs are stuffed and sewn to the body. The bottom flap is then sewn closed, sealing the legs between the body and the flap. Before the flap is completely closed the body is stuffed. I try and use as much stuffing as possible in the body to make sure it stands up to repetitive cuddling.
I stuffed the arms and ears and attached them, as instructed, but did a different mouth from that show in the book. I used embroidery silk to sew a solid line for the mouth in backstitch. I then cut out two triangles of white felt to use as fangs and sewed them to the body using regular sewing thread that got buried in the felt. I love how the face turned out.
It never ceases to amaze me how each monster has it's own character, the minute you finish the face. The whole toy comes to life. I really like how this one came out, in fact I would go as far as to say, this is my favourite face, so far. Of course, I shall have to come up with new ones if I have a whole collection to create!
I really like how this monster sits down. It will look great sitting anywhere, bed, chair, floor or shelf. I think this basement monster will probably hang around, even when it's owner gets too old for stuffed toys. It's fun enough and quirky enough to not just be loved as a toy, but as a little character that is too cute to discard even into adulthood. To be honest, if I could have kept it, I probably would have done!
Apparently the recipient got very excited when his parcel arrived in the post, even before he opened it. He's a smart kid and probably knew what he was getting when the parcel was squishy. I have been told he loves his new monster, so I should probably be thinking about which one he will get for Christmas!
To see other finished objects, click the button.
