Bucky the Beaver joins the shop!

I started making this doll about a year ago but for some reason never did get around to finishing it up. I think I wasn’t happy with the overall proportion of the body and I ended up shelving it away. I was delighted to discover him the other week. I pulled him out, dusted him off, and after a bit of re-working, I’m happy to present Bucky to you all! 🙂 The pattern can be found HERE.

Somehow it makes me smile every time I see his little face… it must be that big tooth poking out! Did you know that beaver teeth grow forever? They have to gnaw on wood to control the length, otherwise their teeth can grow up to 4 feet a year!!

Beavers are woodland creatures and it just so happens that my husband and 2 of my boys actually saw one during their backpacking trip over the summer. They hiked and camped out for 5 days in the forests of Northern California (before the wildfires started) and they saw a beaver and his dam! It immediately brought up images of the kind hearted beaver character from the woods of Narnia in “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” Who remembers with me?? 🙂

My backpacking kiddos are both Boy Scouts (Dad is an Eagle Scout!) and they love being out in nature and learning all about the outdoors. They’re also exposed to all kinds of fascinating things while they earn their merit badges! It’s been fun for me because I’ve learned about all kinds of stuff too! I can now identify the hoot of a Great Horned Owl (it kept me up the other night!) and a variety of different birds and insects. I can (sort of) weave a basket and tie some basic knots! Therefore I thought it fitting to honor the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) by having showing Bucky as a Beaver Scout! lol 🙂

Merit badges are so pretty, in my opinion! They’re so colorful and I love all the different images that represent the subjects! Admittedly, I was a little disappointed that “Needlecraft” isn’t one of the areas of study! I could totally be a Scout Leader for that! 🙂