Hi! I’m Giraffe Guy!
Aren’t I cute?
Hi! We should be friends!
Hi! Hi!!
Do you like my catnip cologne?
Hehe! That tickles!
Hehe… ow!
Wait! Hey!!
aww…
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What do you do with a random little bit of bright yellow yarn? Make a giraffe, of course!
I had a little bit of yellow sugar n’ cream left over from making a Little Starbursts Dishcloth and I thought it would make a cute cat toy. As part of my planning process, I made a list of what I think are the hallmarks of a good cat toy:
-Makes noise (An empty travel size shampoo bottle with some beans in it)
-Has floppy parts (I noticed that crochet doesn’t do this very well)
-Easy to pick up, carry around, and throw around
-Lots of places for teeth and claws to chew on
-Preferably all in one (oops five) piece(s), with no parts that might fall off (My cat has a tendency to mercilessly pull the eyes off of every handmade toy I give her!)
-Not made of wool (Cats tend to try to eat wool things)
But even with the best intentions of design, Giraffe Guy doesn’t seem to be that big of a hit.
Oh well.
[On Ravelry here]
As the owner of 3 cats and 2 dogs I often make their toys. However I think Giraffe Guy has another purpose – as a baby toy/rattle. Because he’s put together to withstand the tuff play of a cat he will be safe for a baby. Any chance you’ll be posting the pattern? I have 3 friends expecting babies this year and I’d love to give them Giraffe Guy.
Hi there! I’m glad you like the toy. Unfortunately with Giraffe Guy I kind of made up the pattern as I went along (and gave up on keeping track). But I do have a few tips for how to make this (or any other amigurumi) baby-proof: 1) Do as much of the toy as you can in one piece. This means doing the tail, ears, etc. as you go. 2) With the legs, you can crochet them into the piece as you’re making the body. This makes them difficult to pull out. 3) I would also suggest crocheting the mane onto the neck, instead of tying on little strings like I did here. 4) Acrylic or Bamboo yarns might work better than cotton, because they both will dry faster than cotton (baby slobber). Bamboo is also naturally antibacterial. Make sure not to choose something that sheds though.
I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful with the pattern… good luck!