A Flock of Sheep

Although Nancy Bush first met Anu Raud and her knitted animals in Estonia, she created this flock of sheep after taking her class, Knitted Animals, in Vaasa, Finland, at the Nordic Knitting Days Conference in June 2003. Nancy says,

During the class, I spent a long time studying the features of the sample animals and how the parts were attached. I wanted to knit an animal that was different from the others. Happily, there wasn’t a sheep in the collection.
Each sheep is started at the back, just before the pattern begins, with a provisional cast-on. For my sheep’s “clothing,” I chose traditional Estonian patterns from the area around Viljandi, near Raud’s farm. Patterns #1 and #3 are from Helme; pattern #2 is from Halliste.

MATERIALS
Yarn Brown Sheep Nature Spun, 100% wool yarn, sportweight, 185 yards (169 m)/50 gram (1.8 oz) skein, 1 skein each of #N91 Aran, #880 Charcoal, and #N46 Red Fox.
Needles Set of five double pointed, size 2 (2.75 mm) or size needed to obtain gauge
Notions Cotton yarn (sportweight) for crocheted provisional cast-on; size G or H (4.25 or 5.0 mm) crochet hook; black wool fingering-weight yarn for feet (optional); clean wool fleece or bits of wool yarn for stuffing; tapestry needle
Gauge 7 sts and 9 rows = 1 inch (2.5 cm)
Finished size About 6" (15 cm) long, 2" (5 cm) wide, and 3½" (9 cm) tall

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