Sweet Nothings

I love a fast project. There's something magical about sitting down on the couch with nothing but sticks, string and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and getting up two episodes later with a new item.
I had leftover bits from various projects, and decided to get some use out of them by making tiny stuffed things. They really have no function, other than providing that rush of accomplishment in a way that only knitting tiny useless stuffed things can. The finished project really just takes up space--albeit in a rather adorable way.

The heart was adapted from this pattern, using much thinner needles and yarn than the pattern called for, giving the heart a more delicate touch. The pattern just creates a 2-D heart; I made two and sewed them together to create the plush heart here. The yarn is cashmere/silk handspun, which was such a treat to spin and knit. I also stuffed it til the stitches stretched, an effect I rather like.

These two lovebirds are made from this pattern. They are knit in the round, and although gauge technically doesn't matter, I would rather use a thicker (i.e. narrow worsted) than a thinner (sock, fingering weight) yarn. The thinner you get, the more you risk the stuffing poking through. The darker grey bird (handspun, although I don't recall the fiber content--feels wooly) didn't have this trouble, but the lighter grey bird (made from the same yarn as the heart) did--I needed to do a little embroidery work to hide the most egregious holes.

Both of these projects were quick and easy ways to add a little bit of whimsy to my day, and I plan on adding to my army of cute little creatures very soon.