Mr Bean's Bear

Here he is, Mr Bean's Bear, known to Bean as "Teddy", original huh? I think he's adorable and I'm pretty sure that Dad loves him, Teddy does have the super-floppy head and hypnotism can be done on him. I wasn't sure if he would be complete in time since I did buy the wrong kind of yarn initially (teach me not to rush out and buy just anything brown). Anyway, after finding a lovely pure wool yarn just before we left and begging the security at the airport, I was allowed to take my bamboo needles on the flight with me (although, this was not the case on the way back, it seems that different airports have different rules). I knitted like crazy on the red eye and on the coach from London to Wolves, I even ended up sewing on my parents doorstep! Anyway, big thanks to Sarah Bradberry, who wrote the pattern and shares it on knitting-and.com.

11/01/05
FYI, this bear was knitted with a Sportsweight machine washable 100% wool (there were 2 hanks and I pretty much used all of them), but can be easily substituted (Bear #2 was done with a much cheaper 100% acrylic DK [sportsweight] bought in the UK and only one ball - no idea how much was on it, since it was so cheap). I used size 4 needles since I lost one of my size 3 needles, (I also needed bamboo for flying with), but with a bear (i.e. not clothing) the needle size shouldn't be too important, Sarah's pattern recommends size 3. The buttons were bought wherever I could find them (some from sewing store that were too small, I ended up buying them in a pack from a cheap store in Flushing, NY). As buttons are a chocking hazard, remember to substitute felt for buttons when giving to a small child. Please check out upcoming November posts for another teddy in the making (different, cute and traditional).