Taa Daa: Superted

In 1978, I used to love listening to my Mum and Dad's Abba tape with the shiny gold curtains shut and the standard lamp on. I used to convince myself that this was what discos were like. I had heard the word, and had some vague idea of what it meant, but no reality to base it on. Then again, I knew my parents had met at "a dance" and innocently imagined their mums and dads to be sat around the edges of the room, watching their children fall in love. The reality of nightclubs was disappointingly less romantic.

It's ironic that, some thirty two years later and at the same age that I was, Charlie now loves nothing more than putting the Mamma Mia DVD on and rocking round the room to the very same songs, in front of our vastly different looking television. Who says technology is important? We share a connection, through the generations, thanks to Benny and Bjorn. Charlie and I get to rock out together, and I get to ogle Piers Brosnan. Wonderful. Although I do occasionally worry who my mother ogled. Curly Fred, from Playschool?

Over this summer I have been keeping myself busy with an original commission from a brilliant client. Her friends had recently had a baby called Ted. She wanted him to have a gift that was truly original and had that retro charm for his Mum and Dad. And so, I spent my time knitting.... Superted!

You can see him, above, as a normal old bear. However, rip off his skin and he becomes a superhero! Two toys in one!

 

Taa-daa! Superted!

It's been brilliant making him. He's largely been created in front of CSI, as it's completely brilliant and I am obsessed, but also at the beach, the park, on the sofa, at the ball pool and all the other places we've visited this summer.

She also commissioned a Superted jumper!

 

I'm not very experienced at intarsia, so this was a real challenge for me. However, it's been fantastic! It was in no way as difficult as I thought it would be; experience does count for something - phew! It was made with gorgeous, handspun cashmere and merino yarn from Scotland. Utterly, utterly gorgeous.

The moral of this post is to challenge yourself. My mum always told me that she couldn't do colour work and I believed that, by extention, I couldn't do it either. My aunty used to make brilliant intarsia pieces and I loved them. I thought it was a special kind of witchcraft and one I could never aspire to. I am beyond chuffed that I have made an instarsia jumper. I am a KNITTER!

With love

Claire x