I love you, Purple Kangaroo!

When my son was 3 (he's 6 now), I started reading him a series of books about a blue kangaroo by Emma Chichester Clark. He loved them and wanted a blue kangaroo of his own. Being the good mommy and knitter who likes to try new things, I decided to make him one. I found this pattern in Debbie Bliss' book Toy Knits. It was for a mother and baby kangaroo but of course he wanted a boy kangaroo, so it was easy to modify - I just didn't make a pouch or a baby.

I've been reading these same books to my 2 year old. She's been stealing her brother's kangaroo from his room which of course makes him unhappy. I've decided to make her her very own kangaroo. She chose purple, since that seems to be her favorite color these days. I hope I can get the kangaroo done before she changes her favorite color. :)

I'm using Knit Picks Shine Sport in Iris and Wisteria on size 4 needles. The yarn is soft and makes a nice fabric when knit but it tends to curl up a lot. That could just be this pattern though because I remember the Rowan Wool Cotton I used for my son's toy curled up too. Having learned from the first time I made this, I decided to block the pieces as I go rather then wait until everything is done. I've gotten the left side panel done, and here's a picture of it on the blocking board:

It's going to be a good size toy when it's done. I'm just hoping I have enough yarn. I used just over a skein on the left panel, so I figure I'll use about 2 1/2 total for both the left and the right sides, which will leave me 2 1/2 skeins for the rest of the kangaroo. If I have enough yarn left over I'll make the baby. And if I don't have enough, well that gives me a reason to order more yarn. :)