stuffed animal

Most of the time I just make animals based on what I feel like making, what sells well, or what a certain pair of socks inspires me to make.  But occasionaly I get custom orders to make something I’ve never made before.  These requests have included a badger, lizard, rocket, owl, and a penguin.  (I’ve also had people inquire about slugs and llamas but nothing ever came of it.)  Now I can add a yak to that list. Yes, yak!  Actually, make that 3 yaks.

It is always interesting when I decide I can make something I’ve never made before because even if I have the vision in my head and on paper I always worry about how it will come out in the end.   Usually in the middle of making the animal before the face goes on they can look kind of weird and so doubt can creep in whether or not it will turn out as great as I want it.  But usually once the final pieces go on I am pretty excited and relieved.  I really enjoy getting the chance to work with the customers to make just what it is they are looking for that can’t be found anywhere else.  I love the problem solving and the challenge of making something new.  Making the same things over and over again can get kind of old sometimes, but it can also be nice because they’re aren’t any surprises.

Anyway, back to the yaks.  We brainstormed on how to make such a fluffy animal without fluffy socks…it is 100 degrees here everyday so there aren’t a lot of fluffy socks for sale.  The customer came up with the great idea to just add the tuft of hair on top of the head with yarn.  Yaks also have tails similar to cows but with a lot more hair hanging off the end, so I did that as well. The pink and blue ones are for a set of twins and the more realistic one is for the custumer to keep.

Next custom order…FLAMINGO!  I’ll be sharing pictures of this one very soon.  I love how it turned out.  (I am just waiting to get the camera back since my husband has had it. I had to borrow a camera from a friend to take these.)