Ideas time again

I still really need to use up some of this stash of yarn I have.  So I need to think up some ideas.  I spent a bit of time before my holiday just making things for me so perhaps its time to make something new for the shop.

I have an idea for a shape sorter toy, it needs a bit more thought and planning though. 

I am thinking of something even simpler than the one in this picture, with just one sorter hold in each side.  I'm just not sure if a completely soft shape sorter would work ... perhaps an experiment worth trying?

Or perhaps I could make another mobile, they seem to be popular ...

Every time I've made one of these little bird mobiles they sell quite quickly.

I have an idea for a little boy one, with cars and trains etc.  It would need much smaller versions of some of the toys I've made so far

I'm just trying to work out if I have the patients to start into this one!!

Crocheting Toys

I love making crochet toys, they can be quite fiddly and difficult to create because they often have many and multiple parts - but the end result is usually very satisfying.

I have a few guidelines I try to follow when creating new toys, I like to use cotton yarn if I can.  I find that cotton is more durable than wool for something that will be played with - some early toys I've made with wool have needed some surgery after some playing.  The seams don't hold together as well and they generally don't wear so well.

I prefer to use DK cotton yarn for larger items, although if I want a finer look I'll use 4Ply.

Also, I like to avoid buttons or hard eyes if I can.  I prefer to sew on eyes and other "decoration".  That way you don't need to worry about letting little hands play with the toy afterwards.

Happy car

My happy car is a good example. everything is made with yarn or embroidery cotton.  There is nothing on this toy that is sharp or hard.

Where possible I like to use several colours, in many instances the more the better :)  This train pattern I created is just an example of how you can combine many colours into a single toy.

Cuddly Train Pattern

All in all, creating toys should be just as much fun as the end result will be to play with.