Squishies

I had the idea a few days ago to make some little squishy toys for my DD. She has anxiety and sensory issues, and the Occupational therapist had recommended having a few little quiet toys at school to help her stay calm. So I looked for a knitted ball pattern.

I couldn't find exactly what I wanted, so I adapted this pattern to make a ball-shape. I found a few crochet patterns, but I really wanted a knit pattern to make the surface as soft as possible (she loves soft things). :) I made one ball out of Caron Simply Soft Thick (and it went to school without a photo), and then used Bernat Bamboo for the ball in the photo.

Then, I tried to come up with a cube, but it ended up a bit more rectangular than square. :)

The "recipe" for the cube is as follows: I cast on 6 stitches, knit 6 rows in stocking stitch, then a raised row, then 6 rows st st, etc., until 4 sides were knitted in a continuous strip. The raised rows were the “fold lines”, for the edges of each side of the cube. For each end of the cube, I cast on 6 st, and knit 6 rows in moss stitch. That way, 4 sides are smooth and 2 are bumpy, for some sensory contrast. All the shapes are stuffed with polyester fiberfill. Next, I'll try a heart. :D

What I've Been Knitting

First, there is The Thing. I spotted some of DH's socks that he was about to throw out, and of course I thought "knitted toy". I had hoped to make it into either a frog or a dinosaur, since it's green, but I think that the shape would be better as a monkey. A green monkey? They're very rare, you know, being found only in the wilds of my sewing room. My goal is to make a few knitted toys for the waiting room where I work. I'll have to ask my boss if this will be allowed, but I'd like to have a couple completed items to show her.
Here's a Knitted Boy, in progress. He's being knit completely in the round, which is how I'd prefer to knit everything! As for the pattern, I'm just making it up as I go along. :D

I'm also working on a top-down raglan with 2 strands Paton's Classic Wool, on 6mm needles. With a cast-on of 68 stitches, it's turning out to be about size 8. It will go to CIC.