FO and New Pattern: Bubbles

First - there was a question about my skiing sock monkey advent calendar... unfortunately I have no idea where he came from. Like most of my Christmas decor, he was a gift from Dave's aunt. But he is cute!

Now... onto Bubbles!

Next to Samantha, Nora's Daddy is my oldest friend (that's not surprising, as he's also Samantha's cousin). We love to tease each other, and talk almost every day. Last month, I was teasing him about getting Nora  a new pet (they already have a cat, which he likes to complain about.)

I told him that Nora needed a goldfish, to which he replied that a goldfish was one of the worst pets to give a toddler. No cuddling, no petting... so what's the point? I can't really argue (though I love goldfish). But because I like to bug him, for weeks I ended every conversation with "Don't forget to get Nora a goldfish on your way home."

Now it's not going to happen, but I still think that Nora needs a goldfish. And preferably, one she can cuddle...

... so Bubbles was born. I knit him up over a few hours Saturday night and Sunday morning. And put the pattern up on Ravelry last night. In honour of my upcoming birthday, I put Bubbles up for free until Saturday. (After that, the pattern will be $2.)

 When I woke up this morning, Bubbles was no. 2 on Ravelry's hot list

There were 15 thank you messages in my inbox, and Bubbles had been downloaded almost 600 times! He's been favourited more than 200 times, and is in 51 queues. Crazy!

But, back to Bubbles himself.

I used up some leftover Big Cat and Tabby Cat, but he's perfect for using up leftover bits of worsted yarn. He's almost knit completely in one piece. The body is done first (in the round), starting with the mouth. The fins are knit by picking up stitches along the body. Only the eyes are knit separately and sewn on.

Meanwhile,  Bubbles will be tucked into Nora's box of warm woolies. Let's see what her Daddy has to say about that!