One of my favorite childrens' books is Socks for Supper by Jack Kent. In it a poor old couple who subsist entirely on turnips from their garden have the idea of knitting socks to trade for cheese with neighbors who own a cow. When she runs out of yarn, the old woman starts unravelling her husband's one sweater to make more socks. Meanwhile, the dairy farmer's wife is busily unravelling the socks to put toward a sweater that she is knitting for her husband's Christmas gift. Christmas morning, he tries it on to find that it is too big. But they noticed that the old man seems to need a sweater, so they give it to him for a gift - and it fits perfectly. The book has it all - yarn, cheese, and a heart-warming lesson in economics.
It came to mind recently when baby girl asked for a pony, and in digging through my stashes of pink cotton yarn, I came across an old baby shrug that she had outgrown. I've unravelled things aplenty, but only to correct mistakes; this is the first time I've actually recycled yarn. There's something almost magical in it - that a long, long piece of string can be turned into a sweater, worn until it is outgrown, then undone and reworked into a pony. Though I do hope she doesn't barter it for cheese.
Meanwhile, the pony is hidden away to await Baby Girl's birthday.
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| The cutest pony pattern in existence: "Clop & Ali" by Fran Goreham, Crochet World, June 2004. |
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| Don't you just love her brown-leather eyes. |
Oh my.....I am speechless..........I love that the pony came from an old sweater.
ReplyDeleteI have some cheese I can trade. C:
Please help me to have this pattern. I received a box with wool to knit a pony but the pattern is missing. I would love to knit it. My email address tace@iway.na
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