Gardener clown

---

Difficulty:

Category: Knitting

Type of item: Toy

For: Children

Style: Whimsical, Funky, Cute, Casual

---

Materials

Acrylic yarn, washable polyester toy stuffing, stiff card for the inside of the soles of his shoes if you want him to stand up on his own.

What was your inspiration?

Although this is a toy, designed for children, I made this for my Mum when she was in her late 80s. She always liked my knitted toys and I thought Bertie Bloomer was highly suitable, since she was fond of gardening. Jean Greenhowe's book, Knitted Clowns (The Red Nose Gang) has lovely, detailed, but easy patterns and Mum was absolutely delighted with her gift! As a joke, she even told her neighbour that she had a young man staying with her who was going to help her with her garden! Mum was always a great one for a joke and the neighbour was intrigued and found it hilarious when she was shown knitted Bertie!

What are you most proud of?

The detail that the pattern gives - the drop of water dripping from the spout of the watering-can, the daisies round his hat and the mushrooms growing on it, the plant and the flowerpot, the butterfly and caterpillar on his shoes.

What advice would you give someone starting this project?

Make sure you use the brightest yarns and keep stuffing until he stands up on his own. If you use cardboard in the soles of his shoes remember that he won't take kindly to being thrown in the washing machine!