Bad, Bad Leroy Brown!

Last week, I finished my Mother Bear. I loved this project! He was super simple to knit: you just do one leg, then the other, then knit across both to join them, knit straight up his tummy and face, down the back of his head, his back, then one leg, then the other. Then you fold him in half, seam the sides of his head, do his arms, seam his sides, stuff him, seam his inseam, and give him a little scarf. And voila! A bear.

It really felt good to make him, knowing he’ll be given to some child in the Congo, Haiti, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, or wherever, and will really be appreciated and loved. And, bears are coming in from all over the US, Canada, Mexico, the U.K., Scotland, Australia, Japan… young people, old people, novice knitters, expert knitters, all of them giving their own touch to their bear project. The pattern dates back to World War II, which adds to the feeling of being connected to a long line of warm-hearted knitters doing a little something to make a small impact somewhere in the world.

And my mom knitted a bear, too! “Slim” was her first knitting project besides a scarf, and she did a great job. (They offer a crochet pattern, but she couldn’t stand the idea of me being able to knit if she can’t, so she taught herself.) This weekend, Mom and I took our bears to Lovelyarns, wrote our names on nametags which will be attached to our bears’ arms, and dropped them off to be sent to Minnesota where they will be inspected and earn their red felt hearts before going to their new homes. And I’m already working on a sister to Leroy Brown Bear (as he was named by one of my co-workers)!