Bouncy the Alien — Song Sparrow Crafts

Bouncy the Alien

Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label Fingering in Warning

Yesterday I finished my oldest son's alien. I am so excited to be done with this sweet critter!! My son has named him Bouncy. He is thrilled that Bouncy is finally done, too, and he thinks he's pretty awesome. What a fun little project; and all "free-hand".

Here's the original sketch my son did last fall. I think Bouncy turned out quite close to the sketch. It's so rewarding to put together techniques learned in other projects into something totally new and unique. Here are some steps along the way...

Ball for the body; Fingering double-held

I found it helpful to pick up stitches with a tapestry needle

My son wanted the eye stalks to stand up. I was concerned that with only stuffing for support the eye stalks would have to be a little hefty to support the eye ball. I got this far and he vetoed this size. I completely agree. I was stumped until late one night I had an epiphany!

Months ago I bought replacement straws for a couple of sippy cups we have, and the straws can fit the taller version of the cup but have to be trimmed to fit the shorter cup, which is what we have. Hooray for procrastination! I'm so glad I didn't trim the straws right when I bought them. I was able to use the extra bits for the eye stalk interior structure, and I'm confident that since they are dishwasher safe they could withstand a round in the washing machine if required.

My 2 other boys have been negotiating with their older brother about how they should share in ownership of Bouncy, and they have put in orders for their own aliens. (Green and blue; of course, that's very likely to change.) I told them I want to finish my WIP sweater before I start any more aliens. But Bouncy was a very fun knit, so I'm sure they will get theirs before too long.