I'd Walk A Mile For A Camel

I finished the first camel!
The others need to be stitched together, but are already knit.
As with all the figures there is a LOT of sewing to do. Sewing takes me a LOONNG time.
The camel is an Alan Dart pattern from the book Irresistable Gifts To Knit and is part of the Noah's Ark pattern.
There is a second camel in the book which is part of a Nativity set. That Nativity set is a new one, not his older Nativity pattern which I hope to someday acquire.
I made several changes to the pattern.
First, I knit it with two strands of Caron Simply Soft on size 9 needles.
Next, I thought the body according to the pattern was too deep so cut out four rows of plain stockinette in the body. I also cut out four rows of stockinette in the neck to keep it in proportion with the body.
I also cut out two rows of stockinette in the head
I thought the legs seemed a bit short so added four rows to the first leg section. I cut out one knee row so did the decreases as p2tog. I added three rows to the last leg section. I did not put anything but stuffing in the legs. The camel stands fine if stuffed tightly.
I used 12 mm plastic safety eyes for the eyes. I use a pair of pliers to squeeze the back on tightly. If you use pliers be sure to protect the eye surface from scratches with a cloth.
The ears are according to pattern. The tail is different. I used one strand of Caron Simply soft and size four needles to knit a three stitch I-cord. I added a couple bits of yarn for a tassle at the end and fluffed them by running my needle through the strands to separate them.
I did not add any facial features besides the eyes. I like her as she is.
The Wise Man is from Jean Greenhowe's Nativity in Christmas Special.