Snow Hare Doodle

needle-felted-snow-hare-side

I’m redirected and put on hold. Again. I’m listening to ….oh I really don’t know what. It’s up beat music, without being too annoying. Yet.

I rest the phone on my shoulder, with my ear keeping it in place, and pick up a pencil and start to doodle.

Some time later, I’ve moved up 3 places in the queue and I’m totally reassured about how much they value my call.  I look down at my new doodle of a seagull diving down on an unaware girl dressed as an Edwardian. I set the phone on the table and put it on speaker phone.

Sigh.

I do have quite a collection of doodles.

needle-felted-snow-hare

I also like to doodle in wool. Needle felting. I seldom know how its going to turn out, but that is the joy of it for me. It is no less a doodle than my paper versions. Needle working the fibre into the right place. My thoughts elsewhere.

Back in the summer, a young friend wanted to see how to make a needle felted animal. I didn’t have long to demonstrate. Grabbing a couple of old pipe cleaners, previously used for toddler bead practise, we fashioned them into a simple skeleton of a hare.

Next we wrapped the skeleton with Jacobs sheep fleece, which is too short for me to spin with. Padding out where the hare needed it.  We ran out of time, so I was left to needle felt it all into position. On my own to doodle once more.

making-a-needle-felted-snow-hareThat is pretty much as my snow hare remained for a few months. I had planned to add brown fur, like the ones we saw on the Somerset Levels, but the longer I left it, and the nearer to winter, the more the white seemed to work. I do love snow and the creatures connected with it. A snow hare it would be. I had also run out of black roving. Much needed for the tips of the ears, the eyes and the nose.

Then last week, I spotted a small bag of black in a local wool shop. Perfect and timely. So good to finally see her eyes. She now has a personality, or should that be hare-ality? Certainly character, and a fetching winter scarf.

needle-felted-snow-hare-and-herdwick-sheepAnother doodle in wool, to go with my herdwick sheep.

Ah, listen. The recorded voice on the phone. They’ve interrupting the music again. They’re thanking me for my patience. Again. Oh. That’s different. At last. I’m number one in the queue.  It’s my turn next. Wish me luck.

Trash 2 Treasure

12 comments

  1. Thankyou for sharing, I’ve learnt something. I tried needle felting and could not get on with it but I didnt’t put a pipe cleaner in for the form, this is brilliant, I shall try again now.
    Briony
    x

    1. It’s hard to avoid the pipe cleaners when you’re needle felting but it is worth using them. Means you can rearrange the position of ears, legs, etc to get just the right pose.

  2. Oh those annoying answering machines! Nothing worse than those queues, now I know what to do while I wait! I have plenty of Jacobs fleece and alpaca wool in summer. I really need to try this. I love how your hare took shape and developed over time. Such a cute collection you are making.

    Thank you for sharing with me on #CountryKids

    1. Yes. Phone queues are grrr! Doodling just seems a great way to spend the time and why not do it in wool. Look forward to seeing what you make. Thank you Fiona.

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