Finger Puppet - "Doggie" >>> Manasek "Hafik" na Prst

I believe that as parents (and later on as grandparents) we should try to stimulate our children (or grandchildren) even artistically. We teach our children to do sports (which stimulates the rivalry), but what about the creative part of their brain. Do not our children deserve to feel that they created something beautiful also?
When my daughter was small we used to make a lot of arts and crafts. It was a great time for me and great time for her. She is big now and still makes occasionally something, but the computer world is more and more pulling her in. Which her life is becoming unbalanced. I hope that the arts and crafts will remain in her life when she has children of her own.
Anyway, when my daughter was little I loved to play with her finger puppet theater.We bought some in a store, we made some. Sometimes she went to sleep with them. She would lay them on the pillow next to her to feel safe and content and when she woke up she started to look for them immediately. She was happy they were there right with her in the bed. Not on the pillow anymore, perhaps somewhere under the sheets, but they were there putting a beautiful smile on her cheek. Isn't that a great way to start your child's (and yours) day - cheerfully?
Even if we are not talented, we all should try to do "everything" at least once in our life. Our arts or crafts don't have to be the most beautiful as long as they are ours and we are having fun.

Step-by-Step Directions:

Body: I made this finger puppet just using my imagination. I cannot remember exactly how I made it. I was trying to make a cat, which half way through looked more like a sheep, and at the end came out looking more like an alien dog. I still love it because it is very special - it was made by ME.
1. Knit with 5 knitting needles. Cast on 16
2. Knit 16 rows.
3. Then keep knitting straight,, without adding, on two needles BUT add within SAME stitches on two adjacent needles (this will be a face): in 17th row four stitches (total 12 stitches on these two needles)
4. In 18th row six stitches (total 18 stitches)
5. In 19th row in the middle (where the nose/snout is) add two stitches (total 20 stitches)
6. Then in 20th row decrease 4 stitches (now total of 16 stitches on the same two needles)
7. In 21st row decrease 8 stitches (always dec2tog - now total 8 stitches on both needles).
8. 22nd row - all around without increasing or decreasing.
9. 23rd row - make 2 opening for the ears with 3 stitches (just like you would do a thumb on the gloves)
10. 24th row - all around
11. 25th row - dec2tog
12. All left stitches pull the thread through and clean up the tread

Ears - cast on 8 stitches, 2 rows straight, 3rd row - dec2tog, 4th row - all around, 5th row - dec2tog, finish with an extra stitch as a know, clean the yarn.

Face: Sew on eyes, snout and mouth.

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Myslim si, ze kazdy rodic (nebo prarodic) by mel stimulovat sve potomky take umelecky, ne jenom sportovne. Nemyslite, ze si nase deti zaslouzi mit vyvinute vsechny mozkove bunky?

Kdyz byla moje dcera malinka tak jsme neustale neco vytvarely. Ted je velka a je vtahovana pomalu ale jiste vice a vice do pocitacoveho sveta. Jeji zivot zacina byt v nerovnovaze. A ja jen doufam, ze tvorivost s ni zustane a bude ji predavat svym detem.

Kdyz byla dcerka mala, tak jsme si hraly mnohokrat divadelka s manasky na prstech. Nektere jsme koupily, nektere jsem vyrobily. Obcas si je brala do postele a hezky si je naskladala vedle sebe na polstar. Citila se s nimi v bezpeci a stastna. Kdyz se rano probudila okamzite se po nich shanela. Byla stastna, kdyz je nasla v posteli, a vubec nebylo dulezite, ze jsou nekde zahrabane v perinach. Hned jak je drzela v ruce, tak se ji rozlil krasny usmev na tvari. Neni to skvely zacatek vaseho noveho dne?
I pres to ze nejsme talentovani, tak bychom meli vsechno vyzkouset alespon jednou v zivote. Nase umelecke tvoreni nemusi byt nejkrasnejsi na svete, hlavne ze je nase a udela nas stastnymi.

Postup (priblizny):

Telicko: Tohoto manaska jsem vytvorila jen tak z hlavy. Nepamatuji si presne jak jsem ho vytvorila. Jenom vim, ze jsem ho zacala plest s tim, ze to bude kocicka. Kdyz byl manasek z poloviny hotovy, tak vypadal jako ovecka. A ted spise vypada jako pejsek-mimozemstan. Ale ja ho stejne miluji, pac jsme ho vytvorila JA.

1. Pleteme na 5ti jehlicich. Nahodit 16 ocek.
2. Uplest 16 rad.
3. Pote pleteme na dvou jehlicich vedle sebe rovne a na dalsich dvou jehlicich pridavame (toto bude oblicej): v 17. rade pridame 4 ocka (celkem 12 ocek na obou jehlicich vedle sebe)
4. 18. rada 6 ocek (celkem 18 ocek)
5. 19. rada - uprostred (kde ma byt cumacek) pridat 2 ocka (celkem 20 ocek na dvou jehlicich)
6. Pote ve 20. rade ubrat 4 ocka (nyni mame celkem 16ocek na dvou jehlicich)
7. 21. rada ubrat 8 ocek (vzdy 2 ocka spleteme dohromady)
8. 22. rada - pleteme vsechny ocka bez pridavani ci ubirani
9. 23. rada - vytvorime 2 otvory pro usi ze 3 ocek (presne jako kdybychom pletly palec u palcaku)
10. 24. rada - opet vsechna ocka rovne
11. 25. rada  - spletame 2 ocka dohromady
12. Posledni rada - vsechny ocka protahneme vlnou a zacistime konec

Usi - v otvoru upleteme 8 ocek, 2 rady rovne, 3. rada - spletame 2 ocka dohromady, 4. rada rovne, 5. radaspletame 2 ocka dohromady + protahneme jeste jenou ocko a ukoncime zacistenim vlny.

Oblicej: Vysijte oci, cumacek a tlamicku.