There be sheep in these parts!

I love sheep! They are not only cute and funny but they also provide me with much of the yarn I need to keep my stash at an appropriate level for crochet and knitting.

My friend from work left last week to move permanently to the beautiful part of the UK that is the Lake District. I will be visiting very soon to partake in yet more of her delicious gluten free cakes and to enjoy the breathtaking views from her cottage.

As a crafter, I needed to make her an extra special leaving present. I considered many things from blankets to cushions an even a shawl but, after trawling through books for inspiration, I finally came upon the perfect gift - crocheted sheep. Now this may seem an odd sort of leaving/house warming gift but there are 3 reasons why I made them!
Reason #1 - the Lake District is renowned for its sheep. They are everywhere you look!

Reason #2 - my friend and her husband regularly play a game they have created called Sheep Bingo which involves using the numbers painted in the sheep to play bingo (I kid you not!)

Reason #3 - who doesn't need a pair of his and hers crocheted sheep in their life?

The basic sheep pattern came from the book Amigurumi. It was very easy to make using Sirdar Snowflake and a cream Arab weight yarn for the body and black Arab weight yarn for the head and feet. I omitted the bit for the top of the head and improvised a bobble hat and scarf for each sheep - they do a fair bit of walking and again the Lake District is a great place to walk!

I am very proud of my little mountain sheep and Mr Bunny chuckled at them for days as they sat on the mantelpiece waiting to be wrapped up. My friend loved them and they even made an appearance at our certificate assembly at the end of term. Whimsical gifts are by far the best!

An intelligent form of life - well I think so!

Shrek!  What I would give for his merino fleece!

Last week saw the passing of a hero.  A hero of the wooly kind; Shrek the Merino sheep. He became famous when he evaded his shearers in New Zealand for 6 years (yes folks, 6 whole years), hiding in caves!  Eventually he was caught and his 27kg fleece was sheared live on television.  Just think of all the beautiful wooly garments you could make with that fleece.  

The sad death of such a wooly celebrity got me thinking about just how intelligent sheep are.  I mean, you only have to look at the Shaun the Sheep (star of Wallace and Grommit) and the adventures of the Electric Sheep on Hoxton Handmade's podcast, to see that sheep are really rather clever and can be found getting up to all kinds of mischief.  

Joking aside, I have seen and met many sheep in my life and have always thought them to be intelligent creatures.  Whilst on my Scottish adventure I was lucky enough to be staying opposite a whole field of sheep and woke every morning to their baas and bleats.  Many of our day's out involved driving down small country roads  where we encountered sheep.  However, these where not just any old sheep, they where most definitley Commando Sheep.  Commando Sheep is a term that me and Mr Bunny gave to a lamb we had an encounter with a few years ago in the Lake District.  It's Mum had crossed the road, it came running after her down a steep slate hill!  It could see it's life flash before it's little sheepy eyes but luckily managed to stop before plummeting over the edge.  Phew! It then acted as if nothing had happened, jumped down onto the road and ran off to it's Mum.  

The Commando Sheep we met in Scotland where not under as dramatic a circumastance as the one above.  These sheep where on a hunt for pastures new (namely the rather scrumptious looking bush across the road!)  They had cleverly escaped from the field their farmer had put them in.  The Commando Sheep could be seen adopting many military manoeveurs in a bid not to be caught and returned to their field, hiding in the bushes, diving down ditches and quickly clambering through the gap in the fence which they had escaped out of. 

You can't see me hiding in this bush!



I can't seem to fit through this gap in the gate!


So, what more evidence do you need to show you that sheep really are an intelligent animal?  But then  again, for those of us who are addicted to (yes, Mr Bunny now says that I have an addiction) to wool, we already knew that!