Today, February 2nd, is Groundhog day, the day when according to some a Groundhog (AKA Woodchuck… AKA Marmots) will wake up from hibernation, look out of his hole and predict the length of winter. According to the contributors to Wikipedia, rodents are accurate predictors of the weather 39% of the time. Which is not an impressive average.
If the little guy sees a shadow (it’s sunny) it means more winter, but if it’s cloudy (or perhaps snowing) then spring will be sooner? I don’t know about you, I don’t think anyone here will look out today and think ‘spring’.
All the more reason to stay inside and knit your own Marmie!
This free Knitbits pattern is made with just 2 skeins of the main color and odd bits of contrasting yarn for the face, paws and tail. I used Berroco Marmot for all 3 yarns but you can easily substitute any woolen or worsted spun yarn for these details. Marmie knits up quick, in just an afternoon or two.
Marmie makes a fabulous hand puppet too. Follow the pattern as written to the note about when to add stuffing. Finish the head without stuffing the body then bind off the body and weave it ends. Marmie was great fun to knit, but I don’t think she is a good weather prognosticator.