Snappy Croc and the early demise of the Christmas tree

Christmas project number three was Snappy Crocodile from Zoe Mellor's Knitted Toys. I've used this book several times, making Cheeky Monkeys (three different ones) and a Big-Foot Bunny, and I find Mellor's patterns easy to follow and fun to make. The first monkey I made was my first non-scarf knitting project, and while I had to remind myself how to purl (and that was a process in and of itself), the only part I struggled with was shaping the face. The bunny pattern was even easier, and the croc a step above even that.


To get guage, or really to get close to it (in toys, I don't find gauge a deal-breaker) I used US 2s instead of 3s. The yarn was Tatamy Tweed, in Forrest and Lime, with a dash of Cherry for the mouth. For longevity, I use buttons for eyes instead of felt, although I did use felt for the mouth.

To put in a bit of contrast, I made the lower body a different color. Seaming is one of my least favorite things, and why I'm usually so slow to finish certain projects. However, I switched to using a mattress stitch for all seams - feet, body, mouth - and they flew by. Then it was just a matter of biting the bullet to get the teeth cut out and attached and voila. When my nephew unwrapped this on Christmas morning, he was (for a 14 month old who loves "borrowing" everyone else's toys) pretty happy. Although I think my 33 year old brother was more intrigued, and the croc almost snuck home with him!

The day after Christmas I headed back home, afraid of how many ornaments I might find down, stahsed, or drowned. I had been away since midday Christmas Eve, and Portia knows how to amuse herself quite well. I found the tree, surprisingly, exactly as I had left it. That was not to last. Over the next few days, Portia was mostly good - only an occasional bell or angel went exploring. The Wednesday after Christmas I treated myself to a matinee of Sherlock Holmes (very good, by the way. I'm no Holmes expert at all, and have really only read a bit of the canon, but I think the characters, story, and action of the movie were really well done). I came home to this


The tree had been on that little table, and nicely decorated with lights and ornaments. The snowman (up in the righthand corner) had been sitting on the tree skirt, trying to reduce the amount of table space in which Portia could make a landing. I found the first ornament just inside the door. I followed the trail into the living room. Portia, I think, had jumped onto the table, got caught in a hanging loop of lights, and spooked. Down went the tree. Thankfully, no ornaments were harmed in the escapade and the few bent branches were easily straightened. The tree and ornaments were immediately put away and are resting up for next years' ordeal.