jwgh | I'd walk a mile for a pattern

I've been working on a stuffed camel for my nephew Ezra. I'm going up to visit my sister and her family this coming weekend, so I was hoping to have it done by then. (Also, his birthday's on October 13, so I definately want to have it done by then.) I'm using a pattern from the same Debbie Bliss book I got the teddy bear pattern from.

Well, it's not done yet, but I think odds are quite good that I'll make the deadline. This afternoon I finished knitting the component parts and in the late afternoon I went to the laundromat to try felting everything, which worked quite well!

I just took some pictures. They're mildly creepy because the ears and eyes and whatnot haven't been attached yet.

So the plan is: Tuesday, buy stuffing and sew everything together; Thursday, make the remaining oddments (there's a blanket that goes on its back and a couple of things like that, which I consider pretty optional -- Debbie Bliss likes to overdress her stuffed animals) and attach them. Then I'll head up Friday night probably.

Incidentally, as usual there were some moments of frustration. At one point the pattern gave me instructions for making a head gusset, which I did. But questions remained -- what is a head gusset? Where's it supposed to go on the head? Is it supposed to line up with something? My questions were all answered masterfully in the part of the 'To Make Up' section that related to the head gusset:

Join back neck seam of upper body to markers, then join seam between markers of front neck and underchin. Sew in head gusset.

Thanks a lot, Debbie Bliss! (On the other hand, I think I did manage to put everything together successfully, so perhaps I shouldn't complain too much.)