Happy New Year from the Woolly Alliance!

There has been very little work going on in Team Alliance over the past month. That is not to say we have been idle! Aurelie and I completed many knitty Christmas gifts for friends and family. Some of which you can see below.

Maipo Hat and Mittens for Jenny

Felted Tweed Headband for Cathie

My Christmas gift from Aurelie

Big Wool Buff for Madelaine

Aurelie’s little hat pattern for Duncan

Be Safe Be Seen – a bit of a laugh for my mother who is loosing her sight

Be Safe Be Seen – even in the dark!

Felted Tweed Cardigan for Aurelie’s wee one

Rucksack for Aurelie’s wee one

Another Christmas gift from Aurelie – 2 beautiful project bags, handmade of course!

Colourscape logcabin blanket for Aurelie’s wee one

However, it is January, the festive season is over and sometimes we are left feeling a bit flat. In an attempt to cheer you up, I have a little story to tell.

As many of you already know, we Scots enjoy a ‘wee tipple’ now and then, and January 25th brings an excellent excuse to do just that. In celebration of Robbie Burns birthday we often partake with friends or family (or both) in a traditional Burns Supper. This can be a simple affair involving haggis, neeps ‘n’ tatties, numerous renditions of well-known poems by the infamous Robbie and to finish the evening, a dram or two of whisky (preferably Malt!)

Alternatively you may be invited to a ‘posh doo’ where the evening will begin with
‘piping in the haggis’, followed by ‘address tae a haggis’, etc, etc……..I could go on and on and not really get to the point here, so perhaps if you are truly interested in one of Scotland’s oldest traditions, Stonehaven (my home town) has a very active Burns Club and you can read all about it here.

Wool for Ewe
the sweetie shop for knitters

Wool for Ewe
for stitchers too

Anyhow to get to the point…. while I was working at Wool for Ewe in Aberdeen I designed a pair of little black-faced sheep known as Cable and Lace. They were initially for the shop window, but were quite popular so Wool for Ewe began to offered them as a knit kit.

lonesome sheep

We also had a lonesome sheep (who still occasionally sits on the shop counter).  Now, for those of you who know Faye (of Wool for Ewe), you may not be surprised to learn that we often had a wee laugh together, so one day we decided that lonesome sheep just had to have some clothes. In fact, full of enthusiasm we felt a new outfit for each month of the year was a brilliant idea!

Wee Black Faced Sheep ready tae
‘pipe in the haggis’

It was January, so what better way to start than an outfit for Burns night. (There, it took some time but I did eventually get to the point!)

Needless to say Faye and I ran out of enthusiasm (and time) around April. However, it is a challenge I will now consider taking on in 2013!

Wool for Ewe will remain the only stockist of the paper pattern but a downloadable version of the Wee Black Faced sheep and his Burn’s supper outfit is now available on Ravelry.