The Year I knit Bears

It's been a really strange year. There was one lock down notice after another. Seldom enough time in between them to get out. Of course, most of the places I would go were closed anyhow. Someone else did my grocery shopping. I live in a spacious room with bath at my son's home. It's big enough for me and my two cats. They were my daughter-in-law's grandmother's cats. She went to a retirement home and the cats came to me. Sort of exchanging one old lady for another not-quite-as-old. Their names are Louis and Harry.

One thing I've always done that I enjoy that takes a lot of time is knitting. I saw a photo of a teddy bear in a magazine one afternoon. For some reason, it really appealed to me. It was cute without being over so. After studying it closely, I realized it wasn't a plush bear but had been knitted. Maybe I could knit a bear. Well, it takes time to develop a pattern. Every one I found on line had a flaw. To me, a flaw. Apparently other people don't value teddy bears in the manner I do. I want a bear who holds his head erect and can either lie down or sit up. It took sometime but, finally, I thought I had a doable pattern. Louis and Harry are good pattern advisors. I discussed the pattern with them often.

My youngest granddaughter and I were chatting on IM Facebook one afternoon and I mentioned I was working on a bear pattern. Oh, she would love to have a bear. Well, I told her that I didn't even have stuffing yet; I was still working on the pattern. If she sent me stuffing would I make her a brown bear? Of course, I would. Stuffing or no. But, I told her, I was thinking of making colored bears and call them Fantasy Forest Bears. She liked the idea a lot but still wanted a brown bear.

A week or so later, a big box showed up. The grandchild had sent me stuffing. And so it began. Louis and Harris were excited about the box. They didn't care about the bag of filling in it. At least, I think not. The box was big enough to hold two large white cats at one time. And it did frequently.

So, now I had a pattern and stuffing. Brown yarn doesn't seem to be in season here and I ended up ordering it on line. I had a catalog but the brown looked just muddy. I went on line to see if it looked any better and, yes it did, I could save a few days time ordering on line. About ten days later this luscious brown cotton yarn came in the mail. Louis and Harry were delighted as it came in a large grey bag. Large enough for one cat at a time to hide. They took turns.

As I knit, I changed the pattern here and there. Amazing how things look different in your mind and on your needles. But they were minor changes. Louis and Harry sat on the couch and watched as I knit a dozen little pieces of brown. They were inquisitive and I tried to explain what part I was knitting. This is the body – two pieces just alike. This is the head and this is the nose. They eventually became bored and went to play with their new box and bag.

When I began to stuff the pieces, they were right there watching. I told them this was for Jennifer. I asked if they remembered her? She came to visit the second year I lived here. Taller than me, dark hair, thin, very pretty eyes? They kind of thought they remembered her. You know you do. She's the granddaughter than came to visit but had rented a hotel in Portland near the airport because she's allergic to cats. They seemed shocked. They didn't know that was why she didn't stay with us. You know don't you that she went to Germany to be an au pair a couple years later. Both cats thought they knew that. But did you know that after she did that for two years, she taught English as a foreign language in a kindergarten? No, they didn't know that. But, the big thing, she also went to school to become a veterinarian. And when she came home, she did her internship in California. Well, they were surprised. They thought she was allergic to cats. They shook their heads. Maybe she grew out of the allergy. I said that could well be.

Putting the stuffed pieces together was a bit dicey as it was an opinion matter. How close should the eyes be to the nose and where should the ears go? I would make a decision and pin the nose on. Then I would decide there was no other place it could go so I sewed it on to the head. Then I pinned the eyes on and moved them until they looked “right”. I sewed them on. The tough part was the ears. I re-pinned several times. Louis was getting quite anxious. I believe he thought I had goofed on the pattern. However, once the ears looked good to me, I sewed them on. I made notations on the patterns so I wouldn't have so much indecision if I made another bear.

Once the arms and legs were on, both cats seemed extremely surprised. I sat the bear on the couch. I thought he looked quite spiffy. The cats gently touched his legs. The bear didn't move. Harry stroked his face. The bear didn't move. Then Louis patted the bear on the head and he fell over. Louis leaped into the air in horror. Oh dear, the bear was laying on his back. I was pleased. I had hoped the bear could sit alone and lay down. He could. I sat the bear up again. Both cats laid down by him – evidently pleased with our collective efforts. And relieved that he wasn't injured.

I tied a ribbon around the bear neck and wrapped him in tissue paper. I found a sturdy box to put him in. The cats looked for him. I told them I sent the Bear to Jennifer. Oh! A few days later she posted his picture on Facebook messenger and informed us that she had named him Alec. She was very pleased with Alec. Louis and Harry looked at the picture. Yes, that was the bear they helped create.

A few days of idling in front of the television convinced me to knit another bear. My grandson Jerry had a birthday in the near future. Yes, he'll be 38 but I am sure he'd love a bear. Louis and Harry thought they knew Jerry. Well, I told them, you should. He was in the Army and got a long weekend pass so he could help me move into this house. He picked you both up and shut you in the bathroom so that you wouldn't get run over by people unloading the truck. Is that why he put us in the bathroom? For our safety? Well, that's an entirely different thought. We thought he was being mean. And do you remember then, two years later he was stationed here at the Fort. He was being readied to deploy. Every afternoon when his sessions were over, I picked him up at the barracks gate. Some days we came home to have supper and a couple nights we had dinner out. Oh, yes, both Louis and Harry remembered Jerry – tall, good-looking and in uniform. We are going to knit him a bear.

The cats pretty much supervised the preparation for Jerry's bear. I had yarn in my stash and we spent all day choosing one that would make a handsome bear. When Jerry got his bear, he sent a photo to his Mom and his brother and sister. Look what Grams made for me for my birthday. We knew he'd like it. He sent a lovely thank you and said that his bear was named Ben. I read the note to Louis and Harry. They thought it was very polite of him to write it.

Then I thought – I can't really get out to shop. I don't care much to shop online. Why don't I just knit everyone a birthday bear this year? I have a stash of yarn. Louis and Harry thought that was quite ambitious. Perhaps so. Okay, grandchildren and children will be gifted a bear. But maybe I'll make a couple for friends for Christmas. The cats thought that sounded like an excellent idea.

The next birthday was looming. My best friend in Washington, Sophia, had a birthday the very next week. Louis and Harry knew Sophia. She's short like me; and funny; and kind; and has a cat that looks like Harry. Her cat and Louis and Harry all go to the same veterinarian. She is the type friend that if you wake up and it's a beautiful day outside and the gas tank is full, you call and say put your shoes on. Let's go for a drive. We've had some pretty spectacular trips – once even on a ferry to Vancouver Island. Yes, let's knit a bear for Sophia. We checked the yarn stash and found a delightful blue. Blue is Sophia's favorite color.

When she received it, she called to say it was a perfect gift. His name is Milo. Louis and Harry thought that was a most appropriate name.

Because it had taken me so long to make the pattern, I had missed a couple birthdays. But grandchildren don't mind and neither do daughters if you send a late gift. Our family says that just makes the birthday last longer.

As I began to knit a beautiful red bear, Louis and Harry asked who it was for. It is for my granddaughter Beth. We missed her birthday so we're going to make one now. I don't want to wait for Christmas to send her a bear. Do we know Beth? No, you don't, but you would love her if you did. Beth lived with me for a long time before I moved here. She is tall, slender, intelligent, and kind of shy. But her nickname is Demon Kitty, DK for short. That sounded interesting to them. She and I went to a wedding when she was about 15. There was Irish dancing at the reception. Beth had worn a dark green plaid dress and some one asked her dance. She was as good as the others. Maybe better. Everyone applauded when she and her partner finished. Everyone else had left the floor – that's how good they were. I was so proud of her.

The red bear seemed to come alive almost before he was fully assembled. I hadn't told Beth I was sending her a late gift. When she received it, she was quite excited. It took her a few days to get the bear to tell her what his name was. He is Nickolaus. I think he helps her at work some days.

Kristin's birthday had been in that “production of the pattern” stage so I thought it'd be nice to make her something special. I figured I could use a larger yarn and needle and make a bear that would be bigger. The size 5 yarn was super expensive but I was able to get a 'wisteria' shade of purple on line. Had to make a few adjustments to maintain the proportions of the bear but did produce a beautiful big bear. Kristin is my youngest child and the quietest and maybe the kindest. She named her bear Alfred. He sits on her sofa and watches television with her.

It was a while before there was another birthday but I realized that there were three on one day and one a week later. It seemed like a good idea to start knitting now. And I was off and knitting. It got pretty hectic there for a while but eventually did smooth out.

Ed's bear is purple. Deep purple. Absolutely beautiful. Ed named him Wilbur. Ed is a long-time friend - used to hang around the house with my son when they were teen-agers.

Anthony's bear is bright orange. I've known Anthony for more than thirty years. He's 80 this year.

My oldest granddaughter is a twin. She and her sister were born on my brother's birthday. One loves blue and one loves green but just blue and green doesn't cut it so Didi's bear is a Mediterranean green and Cris' bear is called electric blue. Lots of bright without being neon. Didi named her bear Gus; Cris calls her Charlie.

My brother called me and asked if he was going to get a birthday bear. I said yes. “Well, good, I want a black bear with blue eyes. I asked if he'd settle for a blue bear with black eyes.” I do not like knitting black and black bears are no exception. However, he is my brother so he got a black bear with blue eyes. The bear hasn't revealed his name yet. Maybe he has but my brother is getting old and may have forgotten. The bear occupies a prime television viewing seat on the couch.

My friend Laura has called her bear King Louie. That was her father's nickname and she thought it would be appropriate. King Louie is a soft beige.

Louis and Harry were really getting into the hang of knitting bears. Harry sits on the back of the couch behind me and supervises. Louis sits next to me and keeps track of stitches. At least, it appears that is what he does.

My daughter Beth's nickname is Pinky and so, of course, she got a pink bear. Beth lives in cold country. I was thinking perhaps I should knit a sweater for the bear but decided not to do so. That would require creating a new pattern.

Holly's, my friend and former neighbor, birthday bear is rosewood. Such a lovely shade. His name is Guiness. Holly has four cats and I was worried that Guiness would be a distraction and be injured. But, the cats respect the bear.

Another friend Becky is an honest-to-goodness dogooder. There aren't many people like her in this world and I wanted to let her know how much I appreciate the good things she does. She even made brownies for my daughter when my daughter was feeling blue. Becky's bear is yellow. She named her Charlotte.

My oldest daughter Catherine loves purple and I found a beautiful violet yarn. Both Louis and Harry were quite smitten with the color. It's bluer than the wisteria purple we had used earlier in the year. Cathi's birthday is just around the corner and the violet bear is ready to ship. I believe she will be surprised.

Two of my grandsons celebrate birthdays in the same week. Christopher's bear is a yellow with light brown pads, nose and eyes. The second grandson, Tony, is a lover of greens and his bear is a dark green with brown pads, nose, and eyes.

My son and his wife will be celebrating their wedding anniversary this weekend. Amanda's bear is white with blue nose and eyes. Kevin's bear is a misty green with brown. Louis and Harry think we have been quite clever as Kevin's bear is made from the same yarn as a sweater knit for him a couple years ago.

I got a call from my cousin Charlene. She is the only living relative I have that is older than I. She was delighted with the slippers I sent her for Christmas. We had talked about teddy bears before Christmas and she was hoping she'd get one for Christmas. I told her I made her a bear but was going to save it for her birthday. She sounded quite disappointed as that is six months off. Louis and Harry nudged me. Send it now. So I said to her, “I will send you your birthday bear now and just send you a card on your birthday.” She thought that would be lovely. She already had a name for her bear - sight unseen. Willa is a light cabbage green bear with turquoise pads, nose and eyes. The name fits her perfectly.

Both cats were upset because one grandson that didn't get a bear. Max is a truck driver and he said he'd rather have a blanket. Someone would just steal a bear. So, for his birthday, I knit a very nice blue shaded blanket for him.

But in this year of pandemic lockdown, I have knit twenty-two bears. That has certainly kept me busy. I am grateful for the assistance of two lovely, huge, white cats. They kept me sane.