A is for Alligator, S is for Snail

I (finally) have two stuffed animals to show you!  The first is my Alligator.  Here's some technical specs:

Pattern: Plush Alligator by Kristi Benedict

Source: Ravelry

Yarn: Knit Picks Palette in Forest Heather (top) and Edamame (belly)

Needle: US 1

Alligator from top side - you can see his little toes very well from this angle.

Alligator Side View - the pieces are just whip-stitched together, but I like the effect.  You can see at this angle that his eyes (actually bobbles) stand out from the top of his head a little.

Alligator Belly View - I love that the designer included a garter-ridged belly!  For the non-knitters, this means that he has little ridges all the way down his belly - like a real alligator.

Next up is my finished Snail.  Now you may be thinking, "An alligator and a snail?  For a girl's nursery?"  Well, these are going to be joined by many other animals, some of which will not be creepy crawly scaly things.

Pattern: Garden Snail by Hansi Singh

Source: Amigurumi Knits

Yarn: Knit Picks Palette in Suede (held double for top) and Malabrigo Silky in Indiecita (shell)

Needle: US 3, US 1 for eye stalks

Snail from Side - the body was knit all as one piece, first the top, then picked up stitches around the bottom edge and knit in, then grafted and stuffed as you went.  As such, there was no opportunity for pre-stuffed blocking and my snail has a bit of torque.  I pinned him down and soaked him for a while, but that has only eliminated some of the twist - that's why his butt is twisting up and towards the camera...

OK, I know what you're thinking.  You used Malabrigo Silky for a kid's toy?!  But it was the perfect colorway and I had a leftover skein that didn't go with anything.  And, because these toys don't use a lot of yarn, I still have most of that skein left.  I'm really happy with how the shell looks.

I knit the eye stalks on smaller needles so they'd be nice and tight and stand up firmly from the head.  I love how they turned out.  Adding the embroidery for his expression was a little tricky because the black embroidery floss had to travel all the way up the eye stalk (from where I anchored it in the head), make the two stitches that form his eyes, then all the way back down the eye stalk without showing.

Maggie seems to think that C is for Cat, hence the group shot.  This picture gives you an idea of the scale, though.  Both animals are roughly the same size (about 8-9" long), but that was more luck than plan.