Busy Baby Box Farm Activity Cube Finished

I took pictures to send with the box to show what the pockets did, but for my own purposes I also wanted to remember what it looked like not just as individual pieces that I documented as I made them but what the finished product looked like too. This will help if I ever decide I want to go back and do this again. It also sometimes is just nice to be able to look back at completed projects and think wow I did that?

This was especially true for the roof pocket section which doesn't exsist in the pattern but I wanted so the puppets had a home and thuse would be less likely to be lost in the first day of play.

Rooster Finger Puppet

Finally we come to the last finger puppet from Leisure Art's Busy Baby Boxesfarm set.

The only real challenge I had with this project is the wings called for variegated yarn and what I found is most of what I have is actually striped not variegated which made getting consistant coloring challenging.

Cow Finger Puppet

The cow was slightly more complicated to finish in that he required multiple weights of yarn to finish his face. The previous puppets required just a little scap of cotton sport yarn for the details but I found as I tried to make the spot for the cow's face with acrylic worsted yarn it covered his whole face. So I pulled out the cotton sport yarn and made his face and muzzle with cotton sport and DK yarn. By using multiple weights I got the face to fit and all was well in the world.

Horse Finger Puppet

When I reached the last 3 finger puppets of Leisure Arts Busy Baby BoxesI knew I was in the home stretch of this project. I was thrilled because I could see the finish line of what was beginning to feel like an endless project.

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The pattern for all the finger puppets uses the same basic body pattern so I decided I would make all 3 bodies before going to bed one night. That would leave me with just the details of the puppets to finish. Of course then I got distracted adding the pocket to the roof and fixing the fence but that's a whole other story

Other than the black sport cotton yarn scraps I used for the face details this is all made with acrylic worsted weight yarn and a g hook.

Sheep Finger Puppet

I love the design of the puppets from Leisure Arts Busy Baby Boxesbecause they are very different from the traditional in the round style of puppet I normally make. It allows me just a little more access when working on the faces or adding details to the back side of a puppet.

If you've been following this project you might notice some changes to this side of the barn. First I added a pocket to the roof of the house which I'd mentioned I might do to hold the puppets. I contimplated putting a top on it but the puppets stayed in this pocket despite me shaking the block so I though the open pocket would be easier for little hands to get to the puppets without adult help. So I left it open.

The second change you might notice is the fence is a little more saggy than before. I mentioned in the previous post I found the spaces were a bit tight for the puppets to fit in and that kept bothering me. When I was working on the pocket I decided I had to make this project as kid friendly as I could and I made the choice to make the fence wider so the puppets could be placed easily in and out. It looks less like a fence but it is more focused on actual play than looks with this addition.

I took a bunch of pictures when I finally finished this project to send with the cube to demonstrate what all the pockets could do and I'm sure the child will discover even more.

The Ugly Duckling Swan

I guess it is a bit of a spoiler if you haven't read the book but The Ugly Ducklingdoes become a swan. So I needed to make one to finish my set for the book.

The pattern comes from one of my favorite amigurumi series Zoomigurumi 6and I wrote previously about making the cygnet for the book set.

One of the biggest challenges for me with this ami was getting the swans wings to set right as the wings can create balance or set the swan to tilting. They are significantly heavier and harder to balance than any of the duck wings I'd makde previously. Not hard to make but more challenging to attach.

Pig Finger Puppet

Having finished the farm box from Leisure Arts Busy Baby Boxesit is time to make the rest of the finger puppets. I've already completed the chicken, but I put off doing the rest until I finished the box.

Most of the finger puppets I've made have been crocheted in the round. These are made in 2 pieces and sewn together. I found this has made sewing the faces and other details on them slightly easier. Even making two sides they work up rather quickly.

I like the play design of this box which allows children to have the puppets interact with the box or they can tell their own stories with the puppets. As I mentioned in a previous post about the bottom section of the box this has led me to consider adding something to the box for storage of the puppets. I've decided to wait until I complete all the puppets to determine how much storage I need to decide what to add.

Busy Baby Box Farm Activity Cube Bottom

Now we come to the last decorated portion of the Leisure Arts Busy Baby BoxesFarm cube. As I've begun working on the finger puppets I am considering adding a pocket to the roof to hold the finger puppets. Not sure how that will work. Another option would be to attach a bag. My one concern is that while the pockets are a fun place for a child to put the puppets while playing, they aren't a storage option. Lost puppets make for a dull toy.

This section is the pig pen and the dark green and lime green both are open for puppets to hang out. The brown circle area is the pig pen. I did end up altering the pattern for the green areas as I couldn't get mine to work out as detailed so I designed ones that worked for me. While I am really glad I put the extra support of plastic canvas in for the walls I will say putting the details in like the lazy daisy stich for the sunflower were not a good deal of fun working through the plastic canvas once the block was put together. It is something to consider if you decide to make you make this project.

Busy Baby Box Farm Activity Cube Side 4

This is the final barn side of Leisure Art's Busy Baby Boxes. The last side is actually the bottom of the barn.

Until I started making the various sides I hadn't realized how many nesting places the birds have in this toy. This side has a basket for the chicks. I ended up making a bigger basket because the chicks are attached by what I'd call saftey lines to the basket and can hang out over the edge and then be stored back inside. The original basket I made was too small to fit all the yarn and the chicks. I decided the best choice was to make the toy child friendly and thus a bigger basket was made that makes it much easier to store the chicks and their safety lines in the basket.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Hand Puppet

When I posted the cygnet last week I thought The Ugly Ducklingwould be my last new project for this birthday box. I still have to finish up projects but I was sure this would be the last set or single item that would be started. Then I saw a free pattern for a hand puppet to go with the ami I'd already made to go with The Very Hungry Caterpillarand I couldn't resist. Especially when I realized I had the colors I needed right in my stash.

You can find the free hand puppet pattern here. For those of you interested there is a free finger puppet pattern here too. I almost wish I'd found the finger puppet pattern first but I'm not sure I have the same colors available so perhaps it is for the best that I went with the hand puppet. For my own reference there are free stuffy patterns that closer to the book than the one I used here and here if I decide to make this project again. I often find myself searching my blog posts when I am trying to remember what I made and where I found the pattern. Leaving myself suggestions about where else to looks seems like a great decision

As always I did change this pattern to fit my purposes. This pattern is written so you can make it as a puppet or a stuffed animal. I wanted the puppet but in making the puppet I realized the head needed to be stuffed and closed to support the head to avoid it being top heavy. To accomplish this I added a final sc in the front loops leaving the back loops open for sewing. I then crocheted a round panel that would fit in the hole left by that last row of sc and after stuffing the head I sewed the head section closed. This allowed there to be more support for the antenna and the overall weight of the head. By adding a row sc in front loops I was able to continue the pattern into the body while still closing off the head.

I've been using more of Joann's Big Twist worsted weight yarn as it is inexpensive and they have a wide selection of colors that I often can't find. I picked up Peackcock recently at an online sale and I was thrilled that it was the shade I wanted for this project. I had previously tried various turquoise colors of different brands and hadn't been happy with the outcome. Again I note this because it will be nice to remember what I used when I come back to this project at a later date. The other colors are colors I've been using for years from a variety of yarn companies.

I used three different shades of green for the body and I added a section to the body to finish in Peacock, since I closed off the head and the hand would no longer be able to access the head. This just gives a little more room for parents to use the puppets with kids, too.

Busy Baby Box Farm Activity Cube Side 3

I'm continuing to work on finishing the Farm Activity Cube found in Leisure Arts Busy Baby Boxesthat I've been writing about for several weeks now.

This side reminds me of several barn projects I've made previously with the hayloft and the hay hanging out of it. I do love the pockets for the various finger puppets. Those are still on my to make list once the sides are made. The remaining sides are the most complicated. I didn't choose to leave it that way. For once I decided to follow the directions. I've been completing the sides in the order suggested by the designer.

The Ugly Duckling Cygnet

The Ugly Ducklingis the last project I will be working on for this October birthday box. The book I chose is a Caldecott Honor book and the pictures are just beautiful. When I started the Make Way for Ducklings project I wondered if there was another book/story that I could send with it that would make use of the duck/bird theme. When I started looking at books I came across a classic fairy tale and then just had to choose which edition I wanted. There were several options but the illustrations in this edition sold me.

I had originally considered adapting the duckling pattern for the cygnet but then I came across a child/adult swan pattern in Zoomigurumi 6so I went with that set. There are slight differences in construction that actually fit in neatly with the story of what the differences are between a cygnet and a duckling.

At this point I need to make the swan and finish the barn and I'll be done with birthdays for October. I still am working on Halloween and then I'll need to move on to Thanksgiving and Christmas.

For my own notes I used Mary Maxim's Baby's Best Yarn and a D hook for the body and cotton dishcloth yarn for the beak. I don't buy Mary Maxim's yarn that often do to shipping costs but I'll be looking for my next free shipping coupon to buy more of this yarn as I really liked the texture and the way it worked up.