23.10.10 I’ve heard back from Eric Carls team and I am not allowed to share the details of the pattern - even for free. However, when I get around it I might put up projects for play food. The caterpillar would be really easy for anyone to work out. I used dpn’s & looked at other patterns with similar basic shapes to start me off.

18.10.10 I’ve loved working with this beautiful soft yarn - the colours have been perfect for this project as the semi-solids really reflect the colours in Eric Carls art work.

Here are a few notes about how I made it….

• The caterpillar was made with several ovoids using dpn’s. After stitching together I picked up stitches to make the icord legs and antennae, I increased before casting off to give the stumpy ends. I then embroidered on the face.

• The fruit was adapted from the basic ovoids I’d used for the caterpillar’s body…

• the plum was exactly the same shape except that I started with an icord in the stalk colour. I then picked up stitches to make the leaf. -The strawberry was very similar except I increased more rapidly to make it fat quickly at the top, and then started decreasing gradually to make the strawberry shape. I then picked up stitches to make 5 small “leaves” which I stitched together to make the calyx. -Eric’s apple does not have a leaf so neither has mine. I made it the same as the plum except I did not work for so long between the increases and decreases, so that it was rounder. -apart from having a leaf the orange is the same as the apple, however it is in reverse stocking stitch. I embroidered a tiny bit of gree at the non-stalk end. -the pear was the same as the plum except I only increased a little bit at first and then knitted a bit before increasing to make the fat bit of the pear.

• The lolly pop is made from i-cords in 3 colours. After making the yellow & blue spiral I picked up stitches to make the lolly stick.

• The gherkin is similar to the fruit but I increased to much fewer stitches and knitted for longer to make it long & thin. I wish now I’d done it in moss stitch instead of stocking stitch to get a better texture.

• The sausage was similar except I cast on more stitches, then decreased and then increased again to get the ends which I tied off.

10.10.10 Finished at last! Going to give this to Helen this afternoon - so my only chance to take photos. This is really hard to photograph - I’ve tried various locations, positions, lightings and backdrops but none of them do the mobile credit. I am so sick of fiddling around with all this little things - but am pleased with the finished result.