Carol Houghton- Creator of the Official Cabbage Patch Pig Interview

How Did you come up with the idea? I initially came up with the idea of knitted pigs to raise funds for Louise at Squeaky Pigs (*which is now closed*). Louise had been wonderful helping meget my piggy Hattie over an illness and I wanted tp repay her. Also at the time I did not hae room to take more piggys so felt if I could come up with something to help thos most in need it would be just as good as taking more on myself.

When Did you creat your first Cabbage patch pig? Having decided I wanted to make something Louise could sell to raise funds I set about making a pattern for the obvious thing... a piggy! It took a few weeks to perfect the pattern but once I had I knitted the first piggy in September 2003

How did you come up with the pattern? Having learned to knit as a child , it was always a facination of mine how different stitches had different effects on a piece of knitting, almost like 'moulding'. Once i had made up my mind to knit a piggy it was then a case of seing how to 'mould' the face and the body. It took a few attempts to get it right and as I went along, I noted down what worked and what didn't until I got the shape and pattern right.

What made you decide to make a piglet? Who was the first one for? When I spoke to Louise about making knitted guinea pigs, she had a picture in her mind of the size etc but when I sent my first batched, she was suprised how big they were as she expected little ones! The big ones sold however, but when Louise mentioned a little time later about small ones, I thought I woud try and knit a reduced size pig and then Louise could see how they sold. I reduced the pattern and made the first piglet which I sent to Louise herself. I then knitted three more and Louise put the four of them together in a basket and Anna (webdesigner) put a picture of them onto the Squeaky pigs shop and they started selling.

How long does it take to knit a piggie? I can usually nit a large pig in a day. Its the stuffing & sewing together that takes the time so perhaps a day & a half to the completely finished product. The baby ones I can knit two or three in a day and then the following day sew and stuff. So one baby would probably take half a day to knit and sew up. I could probably knit a lot more in a day if it weren't for the fact I have a number of real live piggys to look after!

When do you knit them & where? I knit them all times of the day & evening. Any spare time I knit!!! I cannot stand sitting doing nothing!!! I have been known to sit in the piggy house and knit there too!! In the car when we have gone out for the day- we have to take our dog Jera with us everytime we go out and someone has to sit with her. It is usually me so I use the time to knit!!

Do you use real guineas for inspiration? YES I have used lots of piggys for inspiration. Susie's Prince & Spam for instance! One of the first group of big pigs I knitted was Scamp who belonged to one of the forum members. I have knitted lots of himmys, black, orange and white patch pigs like Wendi's recent ones. I also knitted Hattie. Biscuit and a speckled Dobbin (Carols own pigs). Probably the one I had most fun (and trouble!) with was Peter Gurneys Dodi. He was a real challenge because he was knitted in fluffy wool and had a special marking on his face which I had to copy. And of course not forgetting baby Elmo pig which gave me lots of satisfaction.

Left: Peter Gurneys 'Dodi' Cabbage patch pig poses with the real Dodis pigture.

How do you decide which pig will have which accessories? Once I had knitted the first baby pig, it seemed natural to put a nappy on it and then a dummy. There was a post on the SP forum at the time asking what people saw their piggys dressed as if the were to wear fancy dress. That got me thinking... what ig I could knit special big pigs? I knitted a bride & groom for someone who had got engaged, a traveller with black top hat and knitted veg around the brim. When it got near Christmas last year, I thought I would try and knit a variet of special baby pigs and came up with santa, snowman, bauble, angel and fairy ones. I do not knit a piggy and then decide to accessorise it, something usually happens that makes me want to produce something to suit the occassion, which is what happened when I knitted a couple of special rainbow pigs. A few people had lost piggys and I wondered if I could make a piggy that suited that time.

Do you own any Cabbage Patch pigs of your own? I'm ashamed to say I don't! I keep promising my youngest daughter, Francesca, that I will knit her one but when ever I have started one for her, an order comes in and off it goes to another home!! Shame on me!!

Which is most fun to do...a regular pig, piglet or a special/novelty one? The best piggys have been those that would have special meaning to the person it was going to. I have done my best to model the knitted piggy to the real thing in those circumstances. I do however love to make novelty ones. Knitting cauliflowers, carrots etc is lots of fun! Each piggy I knit seems to form a character of its own. I almost hate putting them into boxes and envelopes for fear they won't like the Journey!!

What is your favorite pig you have ever knitted? My favorite pig was the very first one I made. He started the whole thing off and hopefully began something that has helped Louise and more importantly the piggys that have gone through her care. Louise has been great when I have made a bathch of piggys and sent them to her. She has often told me what the proceeds have been used for e.g. drugs etc for a specific pig and that makes it feel worthwhile. I can honestly say I have loved making them. I know from Louise a few went abroad last Christmas and I have just knitted 6 small piggys (not babies with dummies, just samll sized ones) in various colours which are going to Joana in Portugal to raise funds to help her rescue there. I modelled one on my lovely biscuit.

Left: 2 piggys going to Portugal

How does it feel to have a fanclub? Who wouldn't be proud of that? i definately am! Hopefully it will bring more fame to the knitted and real piggys, real ones will find new homes to be loved, and knitted ones will sell to raise more funds for those piggys in need. Louise had a request last year from someone in America for the knitting pattern and it gave me great pleasure to say 'nope, sorry. Belongs to Squeaky Pigs!!!!'.