“Mikey Likes it!” You may remember a slogan from a commercial some years back where kids push off the then-new cereal, Life to Mikey, who was too young to realize the product was being touted as healthy.   Ends up that Mikey’s happy so the older boys accept that the cereal might have good flavor as well as nutritional value.  As the boys were in anticipation of reaction, I was in anticipation of feedback whether my daughter liked her hand knitted Hedgehog Mitts.  And, I indeed heard word that ‘Mikey likes them!’  I believe the exact words were, “They are perfect!”  (Keep in mind we are serious animal lovers, here.)  And, in fact, she is seizing the opportunity with her now retired Mother requesting that every gift from this point on (from me) be hand-knitted.  Smart girl.  And, by the looks of things she is not the only one finding some bit of humor and joy in them.

ok, now I am getting silly . . .

We have some extra pictures from the mitten photo shoot that are just too much fun not to share.  These are photos we took of me in the mitts before sending them off.  (I wanted photos of them and didn’t want to press the matter with my daughter.)  We went to the local zoo thinking it a fun back drop and, as we were walking, snapped pictures attempting to be creative and hoping they would enhance the mittens’ whimsical nature.  I am not sure we succeeded (which is why this is a separate post) but I will say that when I was reviewing them, my imagination took me right to a story line for a children’s book.

Skeletal story line:  Hedgehog comes to life [development of Mother knitting a gift of mittens],  becomes unsettled and unhappy with her roommate, labrador retriever as well as preference to nocturnal living.  [Develop reasons, explanations].  Hedgehog [develop personality of impatience, headstrong, and impetuous] longs for one of her kind for companionship, [to include her desire for a natural habitat] to live the rest of her days.  Hedgehog insists on searching for both at the local zoo thinking surely she would find who and what she was after even after Mother explained another of her kind would be appearing soon.  Over time and with failure in the search [develop], Hedgehog comes to realize her heart’s desire when the second mitten was knitted.

Lizzie, as household companion . . .

dreaming  . . .

At the zoo, lonely and searching . . .

Otter was friendly but wrong habitat . . .  [attention to habitat, animal characteristics]

Polar Bear was a look a-like and the den was dark [size reference]

Grey Wolf ignored.

Meerkat?  [sequence of each animal and its habitat looking more desirable, however not successful]   Tired [due to light of day/frustration mounts]

[inner dialogue]  WHAT?  Who is that?  Should have listened . . .

Dusk.  Companionship. [Resolution/lesson learned]

Hedgehog Mitts as Wearable Whimsy