Taz Time

Or, "This is for Linda"!

A couple days ago on the msknittingcamp list, Linda said she hadn't seen Taz on my blog. True. I said he hadn't made that guest appearance yet. Today's his day!

At Meg's Knitting Retreat 2.75, there is a theme around which those campers who want to participate create contest entries. Each entry is explained and then they're all put out to vote on. Votes are counted and then since all entries are winners, everyone wins something! This past year's theme was "The Devil Wears Zimmermann". (Think: the movie "The Devil Wears Prada".)

Taz was my entry this year. (Linda's was "George Dubbya" and won the contest!)

I was so thrilled to be included in this year's 2.75 and even though I definitely was far from healed from my flight/crash-and-burn, 2.75 felt like a good fit to me. And, yes, I am so anticipating being back for the anniversary summer 2008, 50 years of Schoolhouse Press and 35 years of Knitting Camp!

So...my Happy Dance acceptance to Retreat arrived and then I just had to come up with a contest entry. I thought and thought...devil...hmmm..really don't want to do anything with the traditional devil. A neighboring school district has a Blue Devil as its mascot. Nah... I know! The Tasmanian devil! Love that cartoon character! I googled Tazmanian Devil and found that there were stuffed animals of both the real creature and the cartoon character. eBay to the rescue. I found and won a stuffed animal....and there was a Chicago Bears patch (no Steeler patch with him on; or, I would have bid on that one!)

Now these arrived...the patch can be put on a lanyard as his knitting camp name tag. I had my 'devil' and now he had to wear Zimmermann! I found Chicago Bear colors in my yarn stash. I double checked for EZ patterns, coming up with the Snail or Dairy Queen hat, a miniature baby bear (double entendre on bear)ribwarmer, lumber jack socks, came up with one way of making an EZ pennant (Taz is, after all, 'totally EZ'), and had Taz knitting a mitten. I had no knitting needles that small and toothpicks would be too small...I know! Bamboo skewers....found at my local grocery store! Wonderful DH got out his trusty pocket knife and whittled me doublepoint needles!

How did I decide upon needle size and how to adapt a larger pattern to Taz's size? I choose my bamboo needles that felt comfortable with the yarn (#4's, I think) and knitted a bit to see what kind of gauge I had...then measured around whatever part of Taz I was making the piece of clothing for, translated # of stitches per inch to number of inches of 'critter' and just merrily knit away!

...and I present (da-da-da-DA!) Taz!