Over the last few weeks I have been working on a dinosaur for my grandson.
First of course I had to look for a pattern. I discovered that there are very few books for knitted or crochet dinosaurs; in fact I only found one of each and reviews on Amazon suggested issues. The dinosaurs pictured were also not quite good enough, not realistic enough. There were some on Ravelry that I was almost tempted by but they cost more per dinosaur than buying a book.
Then I found a FREE pattern that was just perfect.
Well almost: it was in Spanish.
However with a bit of help from Google Translate and a table of Spanish crochet terms for where Google faltered, I was off.
You can also find it here on Ravelry – https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/dinosaurio-t-rex
So meet the dinosaur. 
I made his head, body and tail first then his limbs.
This was where it began to become more difficult. 
To make his front legs you first make his toes then link them together to continue up the limb. They involve a magic loop then spiraling from just five dcs (US-scs). To work in a circle, especially such a small circle, it is easiest to work at the back of the circle however that means that the right side is inside and it wasn’t until I had finished the legs that I realised that they were inside out!!
So undoing down to toes, turning toes right way out and redoing limb.
At least this meant that I didn’t make this mistake with the back legs. 
BUT
Theses toes were fatter underneath and the feet are quite shapely. I had not looked at the diagram that says how to join the toes before doing the feet, But when I shaped the feet I could tell they were not bulging in the right places so more undoing. I had a bit more difficulty when it came to understanding the method of creating the heel but eventually I got it right and then I just kept going following the instructions precisely. Do you like his knobbly knees? So clever.
The instructions for shaping the face were also amazingly detailed. Showing exactly where to insert the needle. 
The dinosaur pictured in the pattern had plastic eyes with yellow irises but I only had all black safety eyes so I added a bit of yellow felt.
Then I had to make the teeth!
I made all the teeth in white acrylic yarn only to realise that they were much too big. 
Recourse to the pattern showed that the pattern suggested making the body in an aran weight yarn (I had used DK) and then making the teeth in something that appeared to be about 4-ply. So I decided all that I could do was to try #10 crochet cotton.
Teeth were not easy. Only three stitches into a magic loop then increasing gradually. At first I was remaking each tooth maybe half-a-dozen times before I could get to the end!!!!! This was in acrylic, cotton was even harder, but I did get into a bit more of a rhythm eventually!
And twenty-one in all with three different sizes involved.
But when I had finally made all the teeth and then sewn them securely and evenly in his mouth, he looked suitably fierce. 
Now it was a matter of joining head to body then back limbs, then tail, which partially covered the back limbs, and finally the front limbs.
A few ridges down his back and he was complete. (As you can see there were some bits in cream too! The foot claws were a bit like the teeth! and black for inside the mouth.)
Another view. 
And marching across the plain. 
I had to use him leaning against the chair to take these photographs but using a cardboard cylinder under his tail he can stand freely. 
and the hat I made for my daughter. 
My camera really didn’t like this yarn. The colour is much more of a vibrant peacock blue. Imagine the above but brighter and a little darker. The above has been edited by me for colour but nothing I could do would get it the correct shade.
It is alpaca and merino wool, wonderfully soft.
The hat was very popular and my daughter put it on immediately!
When my eldest was young the Wombles were on children’s television and my daughter’s favourite womble was Orinoco. She had a cuddly Orinoco which she loved and so when I was offered a knitting pattern to make a womble that was clearly Orinoco I said “Yes!” becuse I thought it would be fun to make it for her. 
(As you can see the pattern is a little worse for wear having been carried all over the place while knitting him.)
I have a little blue bear that I made when pattern testing for another blogger which sits on my computer tower unit 
and I had asked my granddaughter whether she would like one ages ago but had never settled down to actually making one.
You can see that the latest bear came out a little smaller. But no bad thing and he apparently has joined the pocket pig 
and a Christmas angel 
I had made previously!
These are a tape and CDs that my son has made for me over the years of him playing the piano.
It is the cake I made for son on his recent 41st birthday.
Especially when you consider that this 
Had all too soon become (apologies for the bad photograph but it was taken quickly to capture the moment!) this. 
I had refused the offer to join them as with the wild waves I feared that rolling up trousers would not be enough to keep them dry and was not keen on wet feet with no towel to dry them.
which is the bookcase in my study where I put cards that I especially like. All the cards you can see, except for the two landcape ones on the top shelf, are from my children. Some of the many I have received since I moved to this house.
This photograph is a montage of postcards of the boading school my mother went to when she was six plus a photograph of my mother.
I was very pleased when I finished the first green portion, having decided to start in the middle. 
This is 14 count. I was however happy to discover that I could see well enough to do it even in the evening.
I was very pleased with the finished design. (I was also pleased at the result of using a piece of white polystyrene to reflect the light so that it was more even as advised by Deborah of 
I normally give my children money as the main present but I like to give them a little something as well. I decided to give this to my younger daughter for her birthday which is this month, so here is the finished present with the birthday card. 
