Grunge Teddy

It's an absolutely glorious spring day out there, and I'm going shopping for yarn this afternoon, which makes today even better!

I'm making a big elephant for my friend's daughter's birthday (for my friend to give her), and I'll make a small elephant from me.  I've been thinking about my friend's son, though - my godson.  He's going to be nineteen, and a crocheted something seems a bit silly for a nineteen-year-old boy.  On the other hand, a voucher for HMV or somewhere seems a bit dismissive when I'm doing all this crocheting for his sister.

I think I may have hit on a compromise now.  A Grunge Teddy.  He likes dark blues and reds, so I'm thinking of a stylised kind of teddy in dark inky blue with a red t-shirt on, and possibly a skull and crossbones on the t-shirt. Something kind of ironic, you know?

I've done a graph paper pattern.  The body's okay, I think, but I'm not really sure about what'll happen with the head.  I'll probably start at the shoulders and work down to the legs all in one piece.  The arms are going to stick straight out, so the body, arms and legs will all be in one piece.  Well, two, if you count the front and the back.  After that, I might start at the shoulders again and crochet in the opposite direction to make the head.  Alternatively, I might do a circle for the head.  Still thinking.

I've got some yarn that will do for a practice ted.  It's good enough to work with, but not so good that it'll be a disaster if I ruin it.  Sirdar 4 ply cotton in Walnut - not quite as nice a colour as it looked on the website, but pretty good for a teddy.  For the real thing, I'll get some dark blue or grey, some bright red for the t-shirt, and some white felt for the skull and crossbones.  There might be something extra in the way of chain or safety pins too - a Punk Ted!

Will post when it's under way.  Exciting!