On Elephants and Completing Crochet

So my little Socktopus left such an impression on the family it went to, that when that family needed crochet assistance, they turned to me. I can only say that I feel really really honored for that position. I was asked to complete a baby blanket that was left unfinished when the new babies' grandmother passed. It was a shell stitch blanket in a soft variegated yarn. I could tell that a lot of love and time had already been put into this blanket.

The whole thing was a little miraculous, especially given that this blanket was started before they even knew that their new baby was going to be a girl... and this yarn is decidedly girly. Finishing it was easy, but it was complicated by trying to crochet through teary eyes.

...

I also wanted to give this new girl her own crochet toy, just like her brother got the Socktopus. I asked what they would like and they told me that her room was going to have giraffes and elephants and that kind of a look. I then hunted around for an elephant crochet pattern that I liked. I tried this Floppy Elephant pattern first, but after getting most of the way through the head I decided that I wanted something a little bit larger than the size it was shaping up to be.

Not finding anything free that I liked I turned to Etsy, where I have found good patterns before. I decided to purchase and use Ami Amour's pattern E is for Elephant. Working on this pattern has been a joy since it is so clearly written. I really love the long legs and trunk that I think will be perfect for little hands to grab on. This pattern took me about 6 hours all told to make. That is fast!!

Body parts all laid out. Tail and toes off to the sides.

Put together, from the back.

The yarn is Loops and Threads Impeccable Glitter in Silver. I liked the softer light gray and felt that the little bit of light shine made it look girly without it being pink. I also think it adds to the idea that it is a sleepy elephant... for some reason. I added a little flower to make it more girly, in the same yarn that the baby blanket is made of. I also left off the tusks since I am pretty sure that only boy elephants get tusks. I also decided to make the eyes sleepy and closed to be a little similar to the Socktopus.