The Sailor Wren

I am doubly pleased today. Firstly, I have finally finished the Wren pattern I have been working on for such a long time. I may write a post about using wire to make legs soon, and I intend to make a sailor's hat for him, for he is a nautical Wren!

I say nautical, because I am donating £1 from the sale of each pattern to the charity that supports former Wrens i.e. members of the Women's Royal Naval Service. The WRNS was set up in the First World War, when many women began doing jobs that had formerly been the preserve of men. The Wrens reformed in the Second World War, and then kept going until the 1990s.

I'm also pleased because the weather is lovely, and someone is actually following my blog! It's nice to know I'm not talking to myself, so thank you, whoever you are!

A little snowfall

I woke up this morning to find the fields white with snow! We were running a little late and missed the sledging, but I managed to take Eira out for a few photographs. Don't worry - I took her in again before she got too cold!

The hills were beautiful, but then again, they always are.

New Beginnings

Apologies for the complete lack of posts of late, but we have just moved to the countryside. Getting internet has been a complete pain, but my shop is now back online.

We are now in the countryside of Shropshire, which is absolutely beautiful. Here is the view from our bedroom window:

And, as a taste of what I've been up to, this is the Wren I've been working on. The pattern will be available eventually, but I've had some problems getting the right yarns (and the prototype you see here isn't finished because I ran out 3 rows from the end!). Mixing tapestry yarn and Rowan Summer Tweed has not worked well... There doesn't seem to be a suitable brown in the Rowan though. As you can see, I'll be making full use of our new environment for picture-taking!

The Sitter-Still

Eira the Arctic Hare (my new pattern) is now available on Etsy! I've been wanting to make her for such a long time, but I've only just figured out how to do it. The design is quite stylised, but the silhouette gives her the windswept look I was going for. She could also be a Snowshoe Hare, as they're quite similar.

I've become a little fascinated by hares, actually. They have a mad grace, and lots of different moods. There is a poem translated by Seamus Heaney giving all the traditional names of the hare, which is full of many apparent contraditions. For example they can be both 'frisky-legs' and the 'sitter-still'. Eira is certainly the latter, sitting huddled against the cold.

Touch it with a wish in your heart

While I'm waiting for some glass cabochons to arrive for my new amigurumi snake, here is another free pattern! This time it's a felt rupee! I use mine as a pin cushion, but I'm sure you can come up with some other ideas.