It is the beginning of the 4-H year and that means a new year of teaching local 4-H'ers in my son's club to knit.  We decided to jump right in with an in the round group project and thought a stuffed animal of pillow pet would be a crowd pleaser.





I improvised a paid for pattern (mini kitty pouf) with a free pattern (Beans the Cat) and with some input from the co-leader for the project we tried to create the best of both worlds.  I actually like the idea of using a bulky yarn for them on this project.  Though sometimes really thick or thin yarns can be a challenge for a new knitter I thought the speed in which they could work through this project would be a fun incentive for them to complete.

We did not do any increases and gave suggestions of doing stripes for the more advanced knitters.  I also like the simplicity of whip stitching the top of the cat and using the yarn from the bottom of the cat up through the middle to pull down and give the impression of ears.

So far they seem super excited and I can't wait to see how far they have gotten at our next meeting in January.

This little sample guy I made for my niece's birthday paired up with a sweet book.  For cost effectiveness I made him in the suggested yarn of Lion Brand Wool Ease.  Pretty sweet!