Bears - soup to nuts

[susandennis]

I started knitting teddy bears the summer of 2005. I had a few months of knitting other animals but mostly it's been bears and usually it's been about 20 +/- every month so I have a process. (Here's the pattern if you want it.)

I buy most of all my yarn at Herrschners.Com - they have the largest variety of acrylic (the bears have to be 100% machine washable), soft soft, inexpensive medium sized yarn.  About 4 or 5 times a year they offer free shipping for $35 or more order and I hop on that. If I am fairly stocked, I'll order about $35 worth (which works out to about 25 bears). If I'm low on stock, my order will be more like $80 worth.

When the yarn gets here, it goes into my green ottoman.

I pull skeins out of here to put into the knitting basket - the one that is pictured in this journal every day.

The stuffing is Fairfield Poly-fil. It's the best and it's always available somewhere. I sometimes order it online and sometimes drive to JoAnn's or Walmart to get it. I generally buy 10 pounds at a time. That's about all I have room to store. Not long ago JoAnn's had it onsale, online with free shipping. My Stuffing Nirvana!

I also use ChiaoGoo Red Lace Circular Needles - I use a #4 for the bear and a #1 to pick up stitches for the arms and ears.  I have lately gotten them at Amazon. They only last about 3 or 4 months but they are fabulous and not outrageously expensive so when they break I just replace.

Yarn and stuffing morphed with needles and you get a bear. It's not rocket science!!

Then, when the bears are done, they go to the green chair.

Once a month I move them from the green chair to the back room to line up for the monthly photo. (They get too crowded on the chair that by the end of the month, I can't get a good picture of each of them.)

Then into big shopping bags - usually 3 - and off to The Seattle Baby Corner where they go out with supplies to indigent mothers of new babies.

There have been a lot of bears over the years and I don't plan to stop. It's a great excuse to watch junk TV.

Comments

[kayre]

I had to do the math-- somewhere around 2000 bears! Amazing!

[susandennis]

Well, when you put it that way... :)

[lookfar.livejournal.com]

Awww, I like how you were on a pastel kick there, and it looks like a tertiary color kick. You ought to label the pics, "Class of June 2014," "Class of May 2014," etc.

Those indigent moms must really like having a choice of bears.

[susandennis]

I used to do that! Name them Class of xxx, 20xx! I'd totally forgotten. Wow. I have gotten rather sloppy about tracking. And then I moved from Flickr to Google with the photos... Yeah that pastel month was fun. The yarn was from Walmart and was a dream to work with. I may do that again.

[johncomic.livejournal.com]

I am pretty sure that this is the best LJ post of all time.

[badrobot68.livejournal.com]

I do enjoy your bears!

[shutterbug.livejournal.com]

I got to thinking that when I pick my wedding colors, I might be interested in a bear to be part of the celebration. Would that be something you would be willing to do for me?

[susandennis]

Sorry, no. I only do them for the baby corner.

BUT a bear for your celebration is totally doable. The pattern is absolutely free and easy. If you don't have a friend who could knit you one, maybe you could ask for a knitter for hire on Craigslist or somewhere.

[shutterbug.livejournal.com]

Okay, I thought that might be the case :) No worries, even if I do have it made by someone else (if at all), it will remind me of you. That'll work :)

[rsc.livejournal.com]

A bear bonus! And it's not even the first day of the month!

Do they fuss about being put in the shopping bag? We use a big laundry bag to transport our people between Cambridge and Gloucester, and they always complain.

[susandennis]

They get cranky if I try to stuff them into 2 bags, but if I use 3, and they have more room, their cool. I think they are just pretty excited about getting closer to their forever kid.

[muizenstaartje.livejournal.com]

Oh, my. They look so happy.
They look like fun to make. (Must be if you have made so many already.)

[(Anonymous)]

Susan, you are amazing. You especially have a special feel for combining colors. I love seeing your baskets. :-)