Crafting and the Boyfriend: some cautionary tales. Part 1: "Stuffed Stuff"

It is my Darling Boyfriend's birthday this weekend and in honor of the occassion I want to post a little about what I have made for him over the last couple of years. Well we have all heard about the "Curse of the Love Sweater" (and heard it and heard it and...you know) I have included how they fair on the continuum of cool gifts. Please note that Darling Boy always accepts these gifts with a healthy gratitude and awe, no matter how big a flop they are. I have given him lots of stuff and learned a lot in the proccess so this will probably be an ongoing series.

This was the first thing I remember making for Darling Boy. Judging solely by this relic one might think we've been dating since roughly 1968. Wrong. I sewed this little throw pillow for DB right before we went away to (read: separate)colleges. He was headed for Iowa and I was New York bound. I used my favorite vintage T-shirt and Jeans to make something snuggly that wouldn't embarrass him by being to girly. This item is a fantastic illustration of the rule that the crappier it is made, the more he will cherish it. When he came from college that summer and I saw the disgusting srap heap this innocent throw pillow had become I was amazed. He still sleeps with it every night. I want to bleach it. Mind you, it is much ickier in person. P.S. his dog loves it just as much as he does. Figures.


Once DB and I moved back to Illinois after a long year apart I eventually decided to knit him something else stuffed. He was no longer living in a dorm with a roommate or anything of the sort so I was less concerned about the "embarrassing girly" factor. This is a Bobbi Bear by Blue Sky Alpacas knit with Patons Merino (Lovely pattern, I highly reccomend it). The Pro/Con break down:
Pro: it's blue.
Con: it's a teddy bear.
Pro: it has a tattoo on its butt
Con: it's a tattoo of a heart.
The bear is appreciated and sits next to the hole-y throw pillow on the bed, but I have a feeling it is not cherished on the same level. Lesson I learned: You can give stuffed animals, but there is a limit to how much he can take. Discretion is the better part of valor. DB is probably a little relieved that he will probably not be getting another stuffed animal in the forseeable future (I'd say never, but I have a policy against using that word).

So that is Part 1: "Stuffed Stuff". Next installment will be "Does the curse of the love sweater apply to his dog?"