Handknitted With Love-Nature Craft Handknitted For Children

I have always loved knitted things and, being the wife of a sheep farmer, I feel like loving wool is, in some way, helping the industry.

I am a member of a farming Facebook group called Ladies in Livestock and, earlier in the year, just as I had given birth to Baby J, I spotted a lady in the group offering knitted cardigans with various farm animals knitted into them.

I had to have them and put my order in, telling her there was no rush and that we only needed the for autumn.

So six or seven months rolled by and I totally forgot about the knitted order until Pauline Gair of Naturecraft Handknitted for Children sent me a message to say my woolies were ready.

I waited with anticipation for the beauties to arrive and I was not disappointed.

Unfortunately, we had an unseasonably warm spell and I was itching to get the cardigans on the children.

Having siblings of mixed sexes, I feel like I am winning at life if I get them all matching and, while they continue to allow me to dress them this way, I will continue.

The knitting is such amazing quality. Not my own standard where missed stitches are hastily covered up or, shock horror, left. No these knits are absolutely perfect.

Animals to choose from include horses, chicks, goats, alpacas, flamingos, penguins and pigs as well as Peppa Pig, Thomas the Tank Engine and seasonal knits like snowmen-ready for Christmas and winter.

Obviously here, sheep were the only choice and, with lambs inside fattening up nicely, I grabbed my camera, bundled the children into the garments and hotfooted to the shed.

Hubster laid a nice little bed of straw for them to sit on and, in the case of the baby, eat (surely straw is classed as one of your five-a-day?).

The photos are not perfect. It is s hard to get three children to look at the camera at the same time but I am so delighted with our cardigans.

Small country businesses are to be celebrated and I am so thankful for people like Pauline who use natural fibres as part of their beautiful work.

Do go and check out her Facebook page. You will not be disappointed. She takes commissions and even makes adult arran hats.

I am now planning our next ones. What shall we go for? Goats? Chicks for Easter? I can’t wait to look.

The cardigans cost an amazing £10 each with free postage. What a bargain.