Interview with a designer: Alan Dart

This month's interview was amazing. I got to interview my toy knitting hero, the legendary Alan Dart. (I'm not already gushing too much am I? I'll try very hard to be cool, calm and collected here on the blog but just know that inside I'm secretly babbling like a fangirl).

Image Credit: Alan Dart, Simply Knitting

In many of the places I inhabit in cyber space, I go somewhat incognito. I hate having my photo taken except for family purposes at the best of times and once nearly strangled an uncle who tried to videotape my wedding against my express order (that's a story for another day though). This little guy, The Party Penguin has been known to bravely stand in for me and preserve my "air of mystique" (thanks to Alan for the lovely phrase). The photo above is one of the few photos of Alan existing on the internet as he admits to a similar aversion to being photographed. He told me he keeps well away from cameras.

Party Penguin: Pattern available for purchase here.

Party Penguin is one of the first Alan Dart Patterns I can remember owning. He's also one of the first Alan Dart patterns I knitted. This is actually Party Penguin Mark II as I had previously made one as a gift for my daughter's ballet teacher. This little guy kicked off a life long fascination with Alan's knitted toys and an abiding appreciation for Alan's design and pattern writing skills.

So here's my conversation with Alan. My questions are in bold with Alan's answers after them.

It's somewhat unusual to find a male knitter firstly; male knitwear designers are even more unusual and male knitting designers who make toys are an even rarer breed. What's your background in knitting like and how to you come to design toys specifically? 
(Note: this is a compilation of lots of answers Alan gave to questions about his childhood crafting habits, his time at Art college and his early work for various magazines and on children's TV in the UK).
I can't think of any specific thing that started my interest in handicrafts, but I've always made things and my mother was very willing to pass on her skills and to encourage me. As a child I made glove puppets and string puppets; knitted clothes for my teddy bear; Christmas decorations (starting in the school Summer holidays!); cellophane stained glass windows; paper sculpture (I had an exhibition entitled 'London' for open day at school, which included Eros, Buckingham Palace and a Beefeater).

I first learnt to knit on a machine when I was four years old. My mother had a very basic Passap machine, and I asked her to teach me how to use it. Later on I learnt to knit by hand (probably when I was about six years old), and I can't really remember a time when I couldn't knit. When I was a teenager I bought a Knitmaster knitting machine from a catalogue, on which you could knit fair-isle patterns, and I started to make sweaters for myself, so I suppose that was the point I realised I had a talent for it. I didn't particularly want to design clothes, but the choice of courses at art colleges was very limited when I was young, so I opted for fashion because this involved working with fabric and yarn. I also designed shoes and studied textile printing at college.

One of the tutors at college was a freelance designer who had worked at the BBC, so when I left college he asked me to help him. I worked for him for a year, and then started up my own one-off machine-knitted sweater business. During my first job, some of the people who came for fittings noticed the sweaters I was wearing and asked me if I would make knitwear for them. The toys came later. I can't exactly remember what my first toy was, but I think it was when I contributed to partwork magazines (published by Marshall Cavendish and Eaglemoss), as their titles covered a wide range of handicrafts and I was willing to give anything a try. Apart from fabric and knitted toys I designed features on patchwork, fabric painting, papercraft, appliqué, embroidery, salt-dough modelling, you name it.

My first job for a magazine was to design 'his and hers' machine-knitted outfits for Danny la Rue for a feature that appeared in the now defunct Reveille! Much later, the editor of Mother magazine introduced me to Anne Wood, who was then the children's editor on TV AM, and she asked me to demonstrate crafts for children on the Rub-a-Dub-Tub programme that she produced. After that she started Ragdoll Productions and I designed more crafts for Pob's Programme, which she produced for Channel 4. 

When I first discovered your work it was when you were resident knitted toy designer for the English Women’s Weekly (which we get here in Australia).
I was under contract as the resident toy designer for Woman's Weekly for 18 years, but when the current editor took over about 4 years ago she decided that she didn't want to feature so many toys and terminated my contract. That is what prompted me to start my website, although I'd been thinking about it for quite a while. 
(and an aside from me: I wonder if the editor ever regrets this decision? I'm sure that people at Simply knitting where Alan is now the resident toy designer are glad to have him on their staff!)

Part of my treasured collection of Alan Dart character patterns from old English Women's Weeklys. Kipper the Dog, Thomas the Tank Engine, Shaun the Sheep and Gromit and the two Beatrix Potter Collections. And no, I will not photocopy them and send them to you. I respect Alan's copyright of these (See our also our discussion of copyright issues  below).

At this stage, a lot of your work was produced knitted versions of licensed characters where you had to reproduce a known design.
This was because I designed these toys for two companies. Initially Intarsia UK, and then TDB, both of whom bought the very expensive licenses that allowed them to sell licensed character toy leaflets, and they often gave Woman's Weekly one character from a collection to publicise the other leaflets. The licenses were for a fixed period, so they have all now expired, which is why the patterns can no longer be sold. I still own the copyright to the patterns (as I do to all my designs), but would need to buy a license for each character collection before being allowed to offer them for sale, and this isn't something I could afford to do.

Batch two of my precious Alan Dart Patterns, Three Little Kittens, The Bridal Bunnies, Angelica and Tommy from Rugrats, Noddy and Paddington Bear. I swear these are among the first things I'd save if my house was on fire!

These days I subscribe to Simply Knitting mainly for a new Alan Dart pattern each month,
Thank you!

But you seem now mainly to create your own characters.
I prefer to do this because I can then offer the patterns for sale on my website without having a licensing company involved.

What triggers a new design for you?
I love Swedish and American folk art, but I'm not consciously inspired by anything specific.

I work out a whole year's features at a time, and tend to use the seasons to dictate the subjects. Of course, having been designing for so many years it's getting harder each year to think up something for Christmas, Easter and Halloween that I haven't already done in the past.

Jultomar and Teeny Tomte. The Jultomar are one Alan's most popular Christmas patterns. I haven't made one of these yet but have all the yarn sitting there to make one for next Christmas. Image credit: Alan Dart

Is it easier to design a toy based on an existing character or on a new idea?
I suppose it's easier to write a pattern for one of my own designs because the licensed characters weren't originally designed with the intention that they were to be knitted, so some of the details are tricky to represent in yarn.

Doctor and Nurse. I'm going to make one of these for my future Doctor Daughter - sort of a hybrid of the Doctor and the nurse seeing as her usual Doctor uniform is a cute little dress along with her stethoscope. Image credit: Alan Dart

Is copyright a bigger issue now than it was 20 years ago?
I've always retained copyright to my designs, and this is how I can sell them (apart from the licensed character patterns) via my website. The vast majority of people are very honest and respectful of my work, but there are still quite a few people who think that they have the right to copy a designer's work and sell it to make a profit for themselves. They use the excuse that it's 'out of print' or 'vintage', but copyright exists until 70 years after the holder's death, and I'm still very much alive (albeit verging on vintage)! Copyright infringement is the same as theft, and now home computers are more common than they were 20 years ago the instances of illegal duplication have multiplied greatly. Most hosting companies are covered by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, so I am able to file a report and have any offending listings removed, but it takes a great deal of time to keep on top of the infringements and protect my property.

Dickensian Mice, Party Penguins, The magic Roundabout characters and Fred Flinstone. I really love Alan's little bite sized toys, mice, hamsters, bunnies and of course Party Penguins

The beauty of knitted toys for me is the three dimensional sculptural element (not to mention the squishy cuddly element and the sheer cuteness factor). Unlike a lot of other toy designers who create toys to be knitted in the round, you design your toys as a series of pieces to be knitted flat and later sewn up. Is there a particular reason you design this way?
I actually don't like knitting in the round, and quite a few people write to me to check that my patterns are knitted flat before buying because they feel the same way. A lot of the pieces in my designs are very tiny, and wouldn't be suitable to knit on a circular needle, and I find that seams add structure to the toys. In addition, because some of the openings are quite small, I often stop sewing a seam a little way from the opening, then stuff the piece, before joining the remainder of the seam. It wouldn't be possible to do this if the piece had been knitted in the round. I also really like sewing up and finishing off, and find the knitting bit quite boring unless there is some interesting shaping occurring every few rows. That's why I always hated making sweaters ..... having to knit 80 rows over the same old stitches! Give me a break!

What's the actual process you following when creating a new design?
I draw the toy actual size and then use a tape measure to take 3D measurements from this drawing, which I then convert to stitches and rows and write the pattern. I can't easily describe exactly how I devise the pattern, but I'm able to imagine the toy in 3D and can turn it around in my head, and the rest is down to years of experience. I don't experiment and jot down notes as I go along, but write the complete pattern for each piece of a toy first and then knit it. I was never taught how to write a pattern for a figure but just worked out my own method, so I don't know if this is how other people do it. I just like the challenge of creating complex shapes by simply increasing, decreasing and knitting darts, and I find writing the pattern the most interesting part of my job.

Do have any particular tricks to help you visualise how to create a 3D object from flat knitted pieces?
I don't have any trick, but I've always been able to visualise items in 3D and turn them round in my mind. I don't make lots of sketches ..... just one, full size, that I use to take measurements before working out the pattern.

The Unobjectionable Cat made for my friend Louise from Alan's three Little Kittens Pattern

What’s a typical day in your working life like?
There isn't really a typical day. I'm either working out a pattern, or knitting, or sewing up, or typing out a finished pattern, or checking the proof pages for the next Simply Knitting feature. Whilst doing any of these I need to answer the many emails that come in via the contact page of my website, and I try to do this as quickly as possible, so always break off from whatever I'm working on when I hear a message come in. At the end of each month I also need to prepare one of my patterns as a PDF file to add to the website, together with new text for the monthly site update. If I manage to get a bit ahead with my work I may even take a day or afternoon off to do a bit of gardening ..... so it's very varied.

Mr Clever hanging around at my work

And where do you work? I imagine your job lets you work from home rather than in an office.
(Alan lives in Cumbria in England) ...in a tiny hamlet, in farming country. Most of the properties are farms, with just a few houses, and there are no shops and no bus service. There is a tiny ghyll running along the side of the property, and we have red squirrels and lots of birds, with the occasional visit from a hare, pheasant or hedgehog. The house was built in the mid 1700s, and was originally surrounded by an orchard, which has now been turned into a garden. A stone-built double garage, attached to the house, has been converted into a studio.

And finally, do you knit in public and what reactions do you get from people if you do?
I don't have any reason to take my work outside, and always knit at my desk in my studio. I'm not knitting-obsessed, and it's my profession rather than a pastime.

I'd like to thank Alan for his enthusiasm and willingness to answer questions. It has been wonderful getting to know what makes him tick, so to speak. All photos are taken from Alan's website or are of my own work unless otherwise acknowledged. A complete list of all Alan's published patterns is available from his website and is updated monthly by the cool people who run the Alan Dart Group on Ravelry. If you want to read a bit more about Alan have a look at this interview with him on the Simply Knitting site.

Maybe I should finish sewing up this mouse?

Knitting along with cyber friends: Cowl KAL

OK, so on Ravelry I belong to a few groups. One of these is dedicated to the English Women's Weekly one of the few weekly magazines which still has a knitting pattern. They used to be awesome when Alan Dart was their resident toy designer and I have a very precious collection of dog-eared pages with out of print Alan Dart licensed toys such as Thomas the Tank engine and Mr Men collected from the magazine in the 80's and 90's. I mainly play along in here for a heads up on what is in each week's magazine hoping for similar chunks of knitting pattern gold. It's not happening as often these days though.

The group moderator bettyboo, has recently decided to revamp the group to get some more lively chatter going and as she had never knitted a cowl (and they are the trendy winter accessory du jour) she proposed a Cowl KAL (Knit Along) for February. I was happy to jump in as the middle daughter, Mel, has a list of things for me to knit for Mel's and Louise's Awesome-tastic European adventure which is to take place at the end of this year.

This is my first go at a organized KAL. It has been a comedy of errors from Day 1. So here I bring you the diary of a cowl (actually several cowls), complete with false starts, overly ambitious project plans, non-monogamous knitting and a master's degree in extreme frogging.

First I had to choose a pattern: This is part of the fun anticipation of the countdown to the beginning of a KAL. You get to legitimately hunt through the stash of knitting books and magazines (and probably inwardly cringe slightly if you have as many and I do). You can trawl the patterns database on Ravelry for hours on end finding new delights. But you do eventually have to make a decision.
I had three in my little stash of must knit patterns, all free patterns.
The Lava Flow Cowl by Dixie Norton.  This is knitted from a provisional cast on, twisted at the end to form a faux mobieus and then grafted together. Otherwise simple 2 by 2 rib and a single cable every 20 rows. Mel likes this one.

The BFF Cowl by Ysolda Teague and tinyowlknits from Knitty Deep Fall Edition 2012. I loved this one when I first saw it when it went live in Knitty. I love the colours and the sentiment behind the design. I want to make this one for myself. These are also knitted from a provisional cast one and grafted at the end (so a similar skill set required to the Lava Flow Cowl above).

Eleanor Cowl by Audrey Knight from Knitty Deep Fall 2010. This is lace knitted in the round.

The second step is to find the right yarn. I'm being a good girl and am on a bit of a yarn diet at the moment (so no new yarn unless its for specific large project like a jumper or cardigan) and op shop yarn does not count. So I got to commune with the stash and find some likely yarn. Imagine me shoulder deep in the stash boxes, gently squishing yarn for suitability and carrying on a gentle voiced conversation with the rejected yarn to make sure its feelings weren't hurt in the process. Disgruntled yarn makes for a feral stash. So I eventually choose two lots of yarn, one for the Lava Flow Cowl and two different colours for the BFF Cowl.
Then you need to assemble your tools.So I checked I had sufficient knitting needles of the correct size and located my retractable tape measure. It's magnetic so often ends up stuck in some pretty out of the way places. I was already to start. Then it was waiting time: (I'm not good at waiting and I had finished the jumper I was knitting...)
OK, So I admit it, I cast on two days early! The 30th of January I couldn't hack it any more and I cast on for the Lava Flow Cowl. The yarn I chose for this is a op shop find. It is a multi-plyed wool in a creamy brownish colour. I had about 10 roughly 50 gram balls of this originally and it cost me 50 cents at an op shop closing down sale. This is the same yarn as I knitted Mel's Owlishly Warm mitts from and so I know it blooms up beautifully soft after a bath. And matching colour accessories makes sense. I used some waste yarn to crochet a chain for a provisional cast on. I picked up the required number of stitches from the chain (with difficulty) and then re-read the pattern notes and realised I should have been picking up from the purl bumps on the back. So I pulled it out and started again.

So this how far I got after an evening knitting. I was using 4.5 mm needles as suggested by the pattern. I was using a thickish yarn of around the right weight. I was happy with the yarn and how the pattern was coming up but it didn't seem to be quite wide enough. The pattern was vague about required gauge just stating 4.5 stitches to the inch. I sort of had that (if I stretched out the rib). But it looked like it was going to turn out two short if this was 1 and three quarters of a repeat.... Hmm... Solution, put it aside and re-think.

Day 1 (1st February 2013): I was thinking about what to do with the Lava Flow cowl and so decided to cast on for the BFF cowl instead. Started with 4.5 mm needles as suggested by the pattern and completed one full pattern repeat of the cocoon stitch cowl. I am using yarn from the stash that my mother bought me after a trip to the Australian Country Spinner's Woollen mill (the home of Cleckheaton, Patons, Shepherd and Panda Yarns in Australia). The wool is unlabelled seconds in a rough long ball and appears to be basically DK/8ply so it doesn’t meet gauge. Need to frog and redo with larger needles. Oh, and I had a copy of the pattern I dowloaded on the first day it went live and it had errors…. Fixed by getting my boy who was sitting next to me to drag up the the pattern from the Knitty site and change screens from 9GAG whenever I needed to look at it. Bonding time with teenage boy also achieved.

Day 2: Used the lime green yarn and 5.5mm needles and knit up an tension square. Made gauge roughly. Frogged the tension square and the bit of the blue cocoon cowl link I had done. Redid the crochet provisional cast on with a larger hook. Began knitting again did 2 full pattern repeats + 4 rows of the third. Now using my daughter’s metallic purple knitting needles.
Day 3: Lots of car knitting. Moving day for future doctor daughter. Knitted while she drove us to her new house. Knitted while watching TV at night. 8 repeats finished. Just over half way on this loop. A bit worried about how much yarn I have left…. That’s what comes of using a random ball of seconds. Have no idea even how much it weighs.

Day 4: Knitted in the evening while watching MasterChef The Professionals. Have completed 11 full repeats and two rows of the twelfth repeat AND RUN OUT OF YARN. It’s not long enough. I can’t quite decide if I should be ironic now and finish the two repeats I have left to go it a wildly contrasting colour… Or frog it and begin again with new yarn.

Day 5: Tried adding a few rows with a contrasting colour (a deep teal). Just looked weird. So I frogged the lot! (I had fun knitting it in the first place and it will be fun to knit again). But I need a major re-think on what yarn I am going to use... (I may have to buy some).
Day 6: OK I am Back to the original Lava Flow cowl. Began by frogging the lot (You can see why this KAL deserves the awarding of at least a master's degree in extreme frogging) and went up to 5.5 mm needles to make it a little larger. Went with my little sister to Melbourne today so 5 hours combined, train and bus knitting time. Redid crochet provisional cast on on a larger hook. Knitted till I ran out wool on the first ball. 4 full repeats nearly. Much better size this time. This is now going to be called the Buses and Trains Cowl. (I figure Mel will wear it on lots of buses and trains in Europe too).

Day 7: Did a few rows in the evening. Joined on new ball of yarn. Nearly up to 5th Cable row. Happy with how this is turning out now. Dodgy photo of progress though.

Day 8 and 9: More evening and afternoon knitting interspersed with marking of exam papers. Now up to 8 repeats and just finished the 2nd ball of yarn. Going swimmingly.

This is just the first installment of my Cowl KAL diary. Stay tuned for more to come. Will she finish the Buses and Trains Cowl soon? Will she re-start the BFF cowl for the third time?

Mr Clever

#a month of moments
23. Clever
I love Alan Dart's toys. I have a very precious stack of pages from old English Women's Weeklies from the days when he was resident designer for this magazine. Many of these are for licensed characters that are no longer available; Beatrix Potter, The Wombles, Thomas the Tank Engine, the Flintstones and the Mr Men characters.

I've made lots of Alan's toys over the years. This is the tale of Mr Clever. I initially made Mr Clever as a present for friend who shared my journey back into mature aged return to University study. We bonded over a student focus group redesigning a compulsory Discrete Mathematics course for IT majors. (One of my first jobs for the Uni was actually teaching the new improved version of the unit). We discovered a shared love of sewing. My kids got along OK with her kids. My husband and I enjoyed dinner parties at her place and helped her husband introduced us to the delights of a wine cellar where cost was no option. Grange anyone?

She always told me she wasn't really clever. So I made Mr Clever to tell her I thought she was. Then her life imploded in a messy divorce and we lost contact. So Mr Clever never made it to his intended recipient and hangs around in my office at work. Often he can be seen in my desk trays. Sometimes he hangs out with the pot plant on the top of the filing cabinet. He communes with the stats books on the shelf. He does lots of chilling with his mate, the giant plush white blood cell.

 

Pattern: Mr Clever
Designer: Alan Dart
Pattern Source: English Women's Weekly (January 1997)
Yarn: 8ply DK Acrylic in Orange, Green, Black, White and Red
Needles: 3 mm
Other odd things needed: Thick washing up sponge, toy stuffing, clear glue and pipe-cleaners

Here he is hanging at home over the Christmas holidays after coming home to have a wash to de-cobweb.

I'd really love to get my hands on the pattern for Mr Bump who is the Mr Men character who holds a sentimental place in our family. It is in the full Mr Men pattern book but not in the patterns published in the English Women's Weekly. With a family of martial artists, minor bumps, bruises and petty injuries are an everyday occurrence. We have a joke Best Bruise of the Week award. I think a handmade Mr Bump would encapsulate the spirit of this award beautifully. And Mr Bump is the boy's favourite.

This one is by Hirondelle Knits on Etsy. Can you see why I want to knit one. Cuteness factor off the scale. Come to think of it, it's only about $14 AUD.....

UFOs and PhDs (a belated New Year's Resolution)

All knitters know about UFOs: the inevitable unfinished objects. Us sophisticated types prefer to refer to them as PhDs (Projects Half Done). I don't really believe in New Year's resolutions (as I never keep them) but I did sort of set one for myself this year. I decided to that I need to finish the unfinished objects (But first I needed to find them... This may be the reason why a New Year's Resolution post is actually happening midway through February).

So here are the UFOs I have unearthed from various nooks and crannies and hidey-holes. This was a really useful exercise. I got to be honest about just how much stuff I have stashed and discover where it was hidden. Dragging them out into the bright light of day to be photographed forced me to decide their ultimate fate. Will I ever finish them or should they be frogged (that's unravelled back to balls of wool for those who aren't fluent in "knitspeak")?  Do I really need to stop procrastinating about sewing fiddly things up?

The Dead Fox. This is one of my longest standing UFOs. I've blogged about this one and the inspiration for the project before. However, I really find feathers type novelty yarn hard going to knit for any length of time so its likelihood of getting finished any time soon is pretty small. It hasn't got enough votes to go to the top of the "To Be Completed Next" list at this time.

Gentleman's Sampler Afghan cushion. This is from Nicky Epstein's Book "knitting for Your Home (which is out of print these days). I actually got to meet Nicky at Craft Show in Melbourne a few years ago and she kindly autographed my book and told me that it is now considered a rare item. This cushion is intended for my son's room. He choose the patterns and colours for the initial two squares we made and the buttons we used. It goes with the decor in his room where the interior walls are painted to resemble stone castle walls.

Two squares done

This one is definitely a keep and finish. Need to decide what other two squares to make now. Actually also toying with turning this into the outer layer of case for his new Asus Tablet. These two squares are the right size to make one side of a case.

Domino Cushion. At a craft show a few years ago I picked up a little book called  Domino Knitting by Vivian Hoxbro. (In fact one of the things I consistently by at craft shows is books). This was a test piece. I wanted to see how to make basic domino squares and then how to add an I Cord edge.

Completed cushion front

Domino knitting book

This one is finished. I just need to add a cushion back and then stuff it. This is a definitely finish project. I need to go and measure it and see if a commercial cushion insert will fit. This one will be a gift or for sale as it doesn't really go with my home decor and my husband sees all cushions as offensive and requiring killing and dismembering. Though cushions in the kid's rooms escape his radar. It would go with the girl's bedroom renovation though. Hmm....
 

Domino shawl. This then led to the domino shawl / wrap. This was inspired by the wool which was birthday present. The photos don't really do it justice. The three colours: a brown with a blue thread through it, a grey marl and a black all have metallic gold and silver threads through them. I'm not sure how big this will be as I haven't really got a handle on how far the wool will go.

This is a very fun knit in small doses. I used to take it with me to ballet rehearsals (no more of those now since the eldest daughter retired from competitive dancing about three years ago) but it's getting a little large to be readily portable. This one I will definitely finish (but in little chunks). I'm not sure if I will wear it though!

Thomas the Tank Engine. I think Thomas is actually the longest running UFO I found (about 10 years). He is still a UFO mainly because he is sort of finished and functional as is. This is an Alan Dart pattern from the English Woman's Weekly (again out of print) and now worth a fortune on Ebay (if you can get one).

This is Thomas. He looks sort of finished doesn't he? In fact he had at least 5 years of quality playtime with my son when he was little. I actually dug him out of stuffed toy chest to take his photo.

However, these are the bits still to be added. I gave up on this for a number of reasons. It is knitted in 12ply (about aran weight) on very small needles so it is really painful on the hands after any length of time. It is extremely fiddly to sew up. And finally, notice that black bit still on the needles. I ran out of the ball of 12ply I was using and none of the other blacks quite matched. There is very little knitting to be completed here. It's mainly sewing up.

I will finish this. After all who could resist a face like this and this is a future family heirloom. I can just see it handed down through the generations. It's knitted out of good quality wool and has already stood up to a mountain of abuse (I meant vigorous play) with no visible effect.

Dickensian mice. Another vintage Alan Dart Pattern from the English Women's Weekly. I like to have a number of small knitted toys as gifts. These ones make ideal Christmas presents. So I tend to knit them when I just want to do something little.

This is nearly finished. I have the head and arms sitting there waiting to be sewn up and stuffed. I just need to remember which one I was knitting....

Ninja Knitter. My Ravelry account name is ninja_knitter. Ravelry is like Facebook for fibre artists Those who knit, crochet and spin). My little avatar at the moment is a calculator, but I want a ninja knitter. So I'm making one. This is mainly unfinished as you can't crochet black under artificial lighting. I'm also designing as I go, so it's a bit slow.

Sheep. This sheep is part of my sister's Christmas Crib. Once again all the bits are here but I have to sew it up. There's probably only about an hour's work here. Just finish it will you. (I also need to make a few more sheep, one sheep is lonely, 3 is a flock).

Camel. This is an addition to an existing Alan Dart Christmas Crib set which belongs to the small grandsons of a friend of mine. The Christmas Crib was knitted by an elderly lady in a nursing home. However, one little boy when looking at the three kings, said "Where's their camel? They need a camel!" The original pattern doesn't have a camel so I'm knitting this one from Alan Dart's Noah's Ark instead. I'm hoping the scale will work with the Three Kings.

I started sewing up the camel but need to look at the pattern to figure out which way the neck and head go together. Also, I dreading those legs which have straws in them to make then stand up properly. I did mean to have this one finished for last Christmas...

The pattern comes from this book

A headless bear. This was intended to be an aviator bear for my Long-term University Office room mate. His hobby in his spare time is to fly a light plane into remote communities and bring hands on Science to the kids of the school of the Air. He is affectionately known as Phiggles - the Flying Scientist. If you want a clearer picture of exactly what he does have a look at the ad made by Vegemite about him. The pattern for this bear comes from Debbie Bliss's book Teddy Bears: Twenty Five Irresistible Designs for knitted bears.

So I raided the stash, found some wool, knitted away and then ran out of wool. I have made the body, both arms and legs and sewed them up and stuffed them. But he is head-less.

It has been suggested that I just sew him him up and leave him headless. I may just do this.