As you can probably tell based on the colour scheme, this teething ring was part of a gift set along with the Baby Button Flap Boots! It’s definitely something new, but as more and more of my friends are getting married and having babies, I’ve been wanting to try new baby-themed things beyond boots and hats.

• 1/20 skein of Bernat Softee Baby – a DK (3) weight yarn (colour A: Flannel)
• 1/100 skein of Lion Brand Jeans – a worsted (4) weight yarn (colour B: Stonewash)
• 3g Loops and Threads Classic FiberFill
• One (1) 70mm wooden ring
• 3.00mm hook
• Coconut oil (optional)

Pattern by Not 2 Late To Craft
MODIFICATIONS by tick-tock hobbies

First of all, I decided to use coconut oil to finish the wooden ring. This was based on the recommendation of Ashley on Make It Love It. It made such a big difference! I love the darker, richer tone of the wood, and the oil helps to highlight some of the grain and variation.

I chose to the 18-row Ideal Sphere by Emily on Ms. Premise-Conclusion. I think the math nerd in me enjoys the fact that Emily actually graphed the best number of stitches for a smooth increase and decrease, and it does show in the roundness of the spheres that her patterns produce. It is much less intuitive though, and does require constant checking of the pattern rather than being able to do it automatically.

I also ended up scrapping the nose of the koala bear. This was because I had decided to do sleepy eyes instead, and the eyelashes take up a bit of space. I am not good at stitching eyes, and to be completely honest, I don’t love these ones. Still, safety eyes can pose as choking hazards, so I guess stitched eyes will have to do for now.

I was also reminded that ear positioning is very important! Ears that are placed more to the side will help it look more look a bear, while ears closer to the top make it look more like a dog/rabbit/something else.

My mind is going a million miles a minute about how I can adapt these to be even easier for babies to love and parents to clean. I was thinking that I could make any yarn aspect of it detachable using Velcro, and then the wooden ring could be handwashed and disinfected while the yarn could be machine washed. I hope that I’ll have some time soon to test out these ideas!

Until next time, happy crafting!