Knitting: Primitive Lizard for Grandchild

The other day we were all sitting on the front porch enjoying the lovely spring sunshine.  Young B brought me a skein of very fat colorful yarn and said,  “Grammie, can you make me a lizard?”  Then he began describing how the lizard should look.  It sounded a bit complicated to me but I thought I could possibly make a simple lizard.

So, I set to work.  I believe I cast on about 10 stitches using US size 7 needles with this super bulky yarn.  After knitting about five inches for the body I did some increases to make a head, then made decreases almost immediately.

The interesting thing about the lizard is that B then wanted to actually do the knitting himself.  He did get a few stitches on the needle, which was impressive since he is just five years old.  Then the rest of the children had something going on out on the lawn and B asked me to take over…which is when I did the five inch rectangle with increases and decreases.

The next day he asked me again about his lizard.  Another day passed without the lizard showing up after yet another query.  Sometimes this Grammie gets into too many things and has to stop one job to go to another.

Yesterday I picked up the flat lizard, made some I-cord legs then used the “magic knot” to add more yarn onto the yarn tail to make the lizard tale.  After binding that off I stitched down the belly and set the lizard up near the trail mix bowl.  Often when B returns from school he goes directly to the trail mix bowl to dip in for a moment.  I knew he would see the lizard there.

Grandpa and I were upstairs working on another sorting project when B came upstairs to show us what he had brought home from school:  a pot with several tiny green plants growing in it and a lovely water-colored Mother’s Day card.  Grandpa asked what he had in his other hand.

He brought out the lizard from behind his back with a big smile on his face and said, “Thank you for my lizard, Grammie!”  That made me happy.  Then he pointed to the protrusion near one end and asked, “Is that his chin, Grammie?”  Yep.  Chin.  The orange eyes were not so easily seen.