Giraffe

This is one of Little A's Christmas gifts that I didn't get finished up until yesterday. She's been dragging it around the house already and giving it all the love a two year old has to offer. Yeah, it's a little rough but it's looove. I'm not a huge fan of knitting toys since I hate sewing all those little pieces together but this one isn't bad and the outcome is worth it.

Pattern: Giraffe from Itty Bitty Toys by Susan B. Anderson
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash in Daffodil & Orange
Needles: US #5 Clover
Mods: I knit all the pieces on a long circular using the magic loop method. After knitting the body and the head I sewed them together and then picked up stitches from the body and knit the legs down so I wouldn't have to sew them on. It worked pretty well but the lower legs are a bit splayed. All other pieces I knit as written. I used a 1 & 5/8 clover pom pom maker for the mane, horns, and tail. After sewing all the pieces onto the head I went back and reinforced the neck seam for added strength since the extra weight on top was making him a little floppy. The spots are definitely worth the added time to knit separately and applique.