The Birth of Sack Boy

Once upon a time in a far away land....
a handsome little gamer was introduced to sack boy from the game Little Big Planet and decided right then and there that he wanted his very own sack boy.
I mean who wouldn't.
He is adorable!!
After searching the internet for a pattern and ordering the wool from the UK during a postal strike all the bits and goodies sat dormant in the closet for months.
Waiting...until I remembered that I had all the bits and pieces and with Christmas just around the corner I could make him his very own sack boy as a present!

Somewhere along the way I convinced myself that I was a more accomplished knitter then I actually am.
I was wrong.
Oh boy was I ever wrong.
Red flags and bells should have been going off when I realized I was questioning the pattern.

"What on earth does I 1 K 2 (increase one, knit two) mean?"

"Tension gauges? What's that?"

Ah, I will just skip that part.
I'm pretty sure I don't need to worry about that.
Right?
So, I Settled down with my wool, my pattern and my needles and quickly began a wrestling match to get stitches onto the needles.
"Hmm, I Don't remember knitting being that hard."

Oh well, a day and a half later I am finished his body.

Hmm **scratches head** I didn't think he would be that tiny.

"Why is sack boy looking so tiny?"

"Should I be fighting this much to get the stitches off of the needles?"

"What's it going to be like when I have to knit his head if it's this much of a wrestling match now."

Hmm, maybe I better figure out this tension gauge thing.

I need help.....
So, I did what anyone would do with an iphone.
I took pictures of what I had and sent ooodles of text messages to a fellow knitter pestering her for help.

One day lost learning the in's and out's of tension gauges and I am ready to begin again and I am running out of time!
Re-knit his body in the correct gauge.
Much better.
Cram one day of knitting to finish his head (ouch!!)
Finish his legs the next which brings me to the day before Christmas eve and I am busy trying to get the arms done.
Along with running to two different craft stores to get the remaining bits and pieces needed.
Who knew buttons could be so hard to find!
Uh....Help!!
In.over.my.head.again!!
Enlist help...
lots and lots of help...
But this time I enlist the help of a neighbor so I spend a great deal of time Christmas Eve running back and forth between houses desperate to get this project finished on time.

Surviving on coffee and little else I was frazzled and utterly exhausted when I finished the final touches.
But, here he is!

He might not be perfect but Mr. D likes him and to me that's all that matters.
As a side note, I will pick up my needles again.
I learned a lot...
for example: "What do you mean I twisted my stitches the entire time?"
Yep, not sure exactly how I managed that one but I have since figured that one out.

But next time, I am going to give myself a lot more time...and I won't bite off more than I can chew!

I know that I am not the only one...
What was the craziest thing you ever made for a friend or family member?
Did it turn out like you expected it would?