So, last year for their birthday, I knit my stepsons some hats. I asked if there was anything they wanted this year, thinking they might request some mittens or scarves. Nope, the answers were “a raccoon, wearing a red scarf” and “a river otter with a grey back”.
So, introducing Otto Odbody and Ricky Rucksack. They are set to have some adventures together.
I used Sarah Elizabeth Kellner’s River Otter pattern for Otto (find it here on Ravelry) and Alan Dart’s raccoon pattern (here). They were both knit in sugar and cream cotton yarn. Otto is knit in more or less one piece working in the round, starting at the neck, with just a bit of seaming, while Ricky is knit in several flat pieces which are then seamed and sewn together.
P.S. A friend who does dog rescue asked if I’d make something like this to donate to one of their auctions; I said I didn’t feel comfortable using someone else’s pattern to make something for sale, even for charity, but I am working on a pattern for a crocheted fennec fox of my own design. I know it’s a different craft, but if someone here crochets and is interested in testing a pattern once I’m done, let me know !
Oooh! Otto!
Very talented knitting on both pieces though
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Lynx
(In a world where you can be anything, be kind.)
9
They are really cute! I’m impressed you used cotton yarn! I haven’t crocheted (well anything) in quite a while, but when I was crocheting amigurumis, I found cotton yarn to be sturdy yet hard on my hands.
You really stepped up to their requests! I’m sure they’ll be cherished for years!
I definitely needed a break by the time I was done!!! With knitting it was a bit easier than crocheting, but now for the fennec fox I’m using wool instead of cotton, because I couldn’t face doing another cotton animal just yet. I actually did a first otter, currently unfinished, in wool. I got the gauge a bit wrong since that color of the wool I used was just a bit thinner than the other colorways, so it was a loose knit and her stuffing showed through. Now that the holidays are past, I want to finish Othelia. She just needs ears, eyes, and maybe a cute sweater to cover the gappiness on her back
I’m laughing at how specific the boys’ requests were, but man, you hit it out of the park! Ricky and Otto are fantastic! And kudos again for powering through with the cotton yarn. Whew!
Oh good!! I’m so excited to get the pattern finished up. It’s a tail-first pattern, and I’m up to the neck. I’ve frogged the first ear twice for not being quite big enough, but I’m confident the next one will stick XD I’m planning to crochet a second one in some different yarns to do a test of the pattern before sharing it for other testers, so it’ll probably be another week or two, but I’m really excited! It will be first pattern I’ve created for sharing!!!
Oh, they’re both fantastic! I have a special fondness for otters, but your racoon is just so adorable that I think it’s my favorite. And, welcome to Lettuce Craft!
