Christmas Teddy Bear Diamond Painting Kit

Scarf. The hat that goes on last and then immediately needs adjusting. There is a particular comedy to a small creature dressed for weather it has no intention of going out into.

The knit is the thing to look at in this diamond painting kit. A bear sits wrapped in a chunky scarf, eady for snow that is already falling behind her, and the cable stitch is drawn in enough detail that you place it row by row. Warm reds and soft creams alternate through the wool, frosty whites hold the background and the snow gathering on her shoulders, and DMC 224, a dusty blush, softens the red side so it stops short of pillar box.

Twenty-three colors is the widest palette in this bear set, and the knitwear is where the extra ones go. Cable stitch needs a highlight and a shadow on every twist or it collapses into texture-colored mush. Here it does not, and the scarf ends up the most convincing thing on the canvas.

The details

• 45 x 45 cm (18 x 18 in)
• Full coverage, round drills
• 23 DMC colors, DMC 224 to DMC 3865
• Adhesive canvas printed with clear symbols and a color legend
• Sealed, numbered, DMC color-coded drill packets
• Diamond stylus pen, grooved tray, wax refill and tweezers

Straight talk

Expect roughly 25 to 30 hours. The scarf takes a disproportionate share of that, because the color changes come often and each run is short, so this suits someone who likes detail more than long easy fills. Full coverage, round drills, 45cm square. Ships rolled, and no frame is included.

Dressed for the weather, hung indoors. It was never actually going anywhere.