Little BoPeep has found a sweater!


baa baa madewell
where'd you hide the wool
yes, miss, yes, miss,
you won't find it even if you pull
cotton for the master,
nylon for the dame,
viscose for the little girl who shops down the lane
baa baa madewell
is there any wool
pay for merino
feel like a fool.

 (but I do love those socks).

Of course sweaters with sheep are nothing new.
And if having just a handful of sheepish and lambies isn't enough, the designers of Lady Diana's reknowned sweater have written a book of knitting patterns. It's worth learning to knit to make something from:
Here are some examples.

See? You can have a fuzzy furry foofy critter without having to wear an itchy sweater.

Next question?

25 comments:

  1. Amusing as ever, WFF. Missed you this summer (me, obviously, not you. I have lots to catch up on). As far as knitting oneself a dog...better than knitting oneself's dog. I do hope this link will work: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704816604576333190698158106.html
    I admit to being related to someone who actually collected her (now deceased) dogs' hair for such purposes. :shudder:

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    1. Hi, mommydearest, glad you're back! I found an early book on knitting with dog hair a while ago, it's on the Domestic Goddess page of the blog. I put that expression of doggy love right up there with taxidermy. Apologies to all you home taxidermists out there.

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  2. There is a fiber woman at our farmer's market who will spin yarn from the dog hair you bring her in a bag. Ugh!

    I used to knit little ( Lambswool) sweaters with sheep, hearts etc on them for my girls. I loved Diana's black sheep sweater. My mother would totally knit a dog-- no shedding!

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    1. Hi, Lane, I never thought of the shedding issue! Of course! Brilliant! I bet doggy knitwear doesn't pill, either.

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  3. Excellent poem Fred!
    Look at how Diana wore that sweater with the collar etc. So pretty.

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  4. good morning, Dani, thanks! Yes, all it takes to put my head back into nursery school is a silly sweater with a cute animal, although my mom would never have bought that vicious blend. Even if I'd asked for that sweater, she'd reply with the speech about how the skin is the largest organ of the body and needs air to function properly.

    I attribute a lot of Diana's problems to the parental neglect which, among other things, resulted in the education her exclusive school did not give her, since dyslexia was not recognized in the British educational system at the time.

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  5. A great example of foreshadowing that sweater.

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  6. Hmm, there's a little black sheep on Lady Diana's sweater. How cute.

    My SIL bought the Knit Your Own Dog book after her elderly dog had to be put down. It was comforting for her and she's an excellent knitter so the dogs she made were really cute. She ended up giving all but one to the Children's hospital.

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    1. That strikes me as a lovely tribute to a faithful and cherished companion. I'm sure the children loved them.

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  7. What a hysterical rendition of Ba Ba Black sheep. Madewell should have a copy of your lyrics! I can't knit so I'm impressed with anyone who has the skill to knit something intricate like that. I suppose it would be a cute home made gift for a child.

    I'd NEVER wear my dogs hair/undercoat and I have a Briard (Berger de Brie is a very hairy french herding/guardian dog)with the most beautiful long hair imaginable.

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    1. I adore Briards. Adore them. We almost got one years ago, but while the breeder was doing the "home visit" the cleaner showed up drunk. Reeling. Someone else got our Briard, no idea what happened to cleaner.

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  8. Ok, I may or may not a have a knitted Dalmation finger bob.


    Fred: that story about the cleaner is hilarious!

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Hi, Tabs, I went through a life cycle where almost anyone who worked for me, whether it was someone I hired directly or a star discovery from my then employer's personnel dept., showed up to work legless.

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  9. Hi Fred-As usual your verse is delightful. Don't care for the Madewell sweater, looks a bit like some pj's my boys wore as wee tykes. Not only is D's sweater unusual, but are those bunches of broccoli embossed on her clutch, or is it a figment of my presbyopia? I would love to have a coat made from my puppies fur, so very soft and warm, and so light, it floats in the air

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    1. hi, David, I can't tell what they are, and will defer to more avid Di-watchers.

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    2. David, I believe that what you see are blue and pink/red flowers. A year or so before the polo match photo above, the Princess carried the bag when she flew to Gibraltar for the start of her honeymoon cruise. For the first couple of years of her tenure, Princess Diana was my fashion icon. Then I (finally) realized that, while I might watch the occasional polo match, what suited a 5'10' Princess was unlikely to work on 5'3" me.

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  10. My two-year old would absolutely love that little sheepdog - he is obsessed with our friend's dog. Off to etsy to search for one!

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  12. Hi Fred, While I am not a fan of critter sweaters, I once owned the sheep sweater by Warm and Wonderful. One of the things I liked best about it was that the placement of the black sheep varied from sweater to sweater.
    I agree with your opinion on the Princess of Wales' schooling. In an interesting twist, her senior school, West Heath, closed in the late nineties. It reopened under a new name (New School at West Heath) with a new focus on students with learning challenges (SEN/special ed.)

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    1. Hi, Muffy, I was in London during the Di-sweater craze, and has to be physically restrained from buying the gray cardigan version.

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    2. and I'm glad to know that HRH's old school is working for the public good. At least on paper.

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  13. I always thought that the black sheep and ensuing ironic implication was what elevated Princess Di's sweater from cute to coveted. (Sorry about coveted- as my older son would say- it has become a "thing".) I think the Madewell sweater is sweet, not for me, but especially not for me if it is made of mystery fiber.Thank you for another great poem. I thoroughly enjoy them! As the writer of a lonely knit blog, I must refrain from commenting about the dog hair....

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  14. coveted, obsessed, addicted, effortless... the list goes on. Sigh.

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