How is everyone doing with the last clue of the KAL? Were you surprised to find out what you're knitting? I've seen a few finished mammoths so far (see photos below), but I hope more people will share as they finish up the last few bits of their toys. As before, if you need more photos to help with the assembly, you can check out the Flickr album, or send me a message if you have a specific question.
I've wanted to make more large toys for a while, and a mammoth seemed like the perfect animal for a new design. I loved Mr. Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street when I was young, and I have a stuffed version of him that's still hanging around (minus one eye, as happens to well-loved toys). So I took the overall shape of my Sasquatch and Yeti pattern, combined it with the distinctive features of a mammoth, knit it in some fuzzy yarn, and created my own version of the character. From the finished toys I've seen so far, everyone loves how the design came out! (Even if some of us want to knit a few more "potatoes").
The other part of the pattern was a little harder to figure out. Usually I like to make some kind of clothing or accessory for my toys, but if I wanted the fuzziness of this toy to really stand out, I couldn't cover it up. Once that was decided, I remembered how much fun it was to make the tiny doll that went with my Unicorn pattern. I know that one was also part of a mystery knit-along, but I hoped enough years had passed to make it okay to revisit the design. Of course the toy needed a cute off-the-shoulder tunic, for that cave-girl-chic look. I think I must have knit about 8 different versions, in all kinds of ways, until I decided on the final design. I love how simple it is to knit, and introduces the fun technique of a picot fringe. One of my editors came up with the name Lucy, which is just perfect for her!
Thanks so much to everyone who participated in this mystery knit-along! These events are one of the most fun things I get to do as a knitting designer, and I'm glad I can still make them work, in the ever-changing environment of social media. I have some fun ideas planned for the rest of the year, so I hope you'll come back to check out what's going on! For now, enjoy these awesome mammoths, made by some of the knitters from my Ravelry group.
