Squids In

It was supposed to be a shrew, an "Animals of Farthing Wood" type shrew. There was no pattern, but how difficult could it be, after all this practice?

Well, in much the same way that no one expects the Spanish Inquisition, no one expects a shrew to turn out to be a squid. But that's what happened. What fell off the hook was not a small, fluffy woodland creature, but an underwater menace by the name of Squirtle.

I am not a shrew.

So onto shrew mark II. So confident that nothing aquatic would occur this time, I even risked using some posh wool (a merino/alpaca blend). The result was almost a shrew, but really, when you examine it closely, it's an anteater. And he's wearing a stripey jumper. But that's fine. It's close enough.

I am not a squid.

With his talent for innovative naming conventions, the small horse christened it "Anty". It took him all of 2 seconds to come up with that one. You can't buy genius like that, folks.

People who know about these things always recommend that you use the cheapest available acrylic wool to make ami. It cannot be denied that this is a wise strategy for both budgetary and aesthetic reasons. However, that Rowan Felted Tweed WAS awfully nice on the fingers, and the end product is much softer and far more "au naturelle" than anything you'd get from acrylic. It was £1.50 for three different coloured oddments in the bargain bucket of my local craft shop. And it will not last long.

(all Donations to the "Rowan Felted Tweed Fund for Blogging Horses" gratefully accepted).