Handmade Presents: The Frog

For one of my nephews, I got the brilliant idea to knit a tropical tree frog since he has a jungle theme for his room.  But I don't like patterns so I decided I'd figure one out myself.  I started and ripped out all my stitches at least three times before settling on a shape I liked and once I did get him started, I really disliked making him, but I stuck to it anyway!

I got inspiration for the shape from this picture in one of Bunny's books:

He came out a lot bigger than I meant him too.  When I don't use a pattern for knitting toys, that always seems to happen.

Bunny really loved pointing out his arms.  I think that was when we discovered she knew how to say that body part!

The best part was that my nephew--only four months older than Bunny--seemed to like him.  But I don't think I'll be making a stuffed present like that (with a deadline anyway) for a long time!

If I had a pattern to share with you, I would do so, but I don't.  I just knit in the round and increased stitches appropriately to get the pear shape I wanted.  Then I picked up stitches in the body for the arms and legs increased and decreased where necessary to get the arm shape.  Don't even ask me about the toes because I did each foot a little differently until I figured out the best way! Yikes! This was the project that made me REALLY regret handmade Christmas presents this year!