Knitted sheep pattern... diversification or just procrastination?

Why is it harder to write a knitting pattern than it was to design the pattern...?

As I knitted the first sheep, and admittedly there were a few false starts, I scrawled down the pattern in note form on a ball band, knowing that I would know what I meant. But to write a pattern for others to follow I feel I should put in a bit more effort, not to mention details...

But am I diversifying or just procrastination...? Do people really want to go around knitting sheep, or is it just me?

Comments would nice, to allay my suspicions that I'm just rambling into an abyss,  or add a comment on my facebook page if that's easier...

Knitting pattern to follow...

Book signing near York - knitting needles at the ready...

I've got a book signing at the weekend - time to get the knitting needles out...

That's right, that's what I said - knitting needles - you see I just like to make things hard for myself.

Not only do I write, illustrate and self publish my books - by the end of 2013 I was looking for a gimmick to add to my table at fairs. My imagination went around in a few circles and came up with the idea of knitting sheep - the characters from my bestseller But I'm Not Sleepy. The sheep caught the imagination of young and young at heart - who wouldn't want to take home a knitted sheep after all?

I have been toying with a design for a knitted cat to link with Basil and the Flappy Thing, but so far I've only produced a knitted head which is bigger than life size,  so I'm not sure where I'm going with that one...

I've heard of an author who takes his cat to book signings, and his cat sits happily on the table next to him, but I can't see that working our for me. I think there would be a riot, especially as there will be birds of prey at the same fair as my forthcoming book signing.

OK, what' am I supposed to do with this?

Sheep production line... and new colours on the way!

Sheep production has become a bit of a production line this week, after running out of black wool, I knitted 4 sheep bodies in one evening, but only one had a head and they were all legless ad earless - so last night I knitted the other 3 heads and attached them, and did a line a ears which are all still connected like a a line of spaced out punting... So that means tonight must be faces and legs night. I think I prefer knitting one sheep at a time...

Sheep production is about to branch out into other colours - I've just been knitting cream sheep with black faces and legs so far, but I now have some black wool and some grey wool ordered, and I might even branch out into rainbow sheep - if there is a demand - views anyone...?

Counting sheep

Counting sheep... it's the tried and tested way of getting to sleep - but what happens to all the sheep once you've finished counting them? I bet you didn't think about that...?

Here at Lost in a Book things are in danger of getting out of hand. 

It all started with a notion to merchandise my book But I'm Not Sleepy.  One sheep took shape and sprang from my knitting needles, then one sheep lead to another until it is fast becoming a flock of sheep...

And where are all these sheep heading? Well they'll be making an appearance at Christmas fairs around the York area. The first one is Huntington School this Friday - who knows how many they'll be by then...

Merchandising a book on a shoestring

OK so I seem to do everything else so why not merchandising too...? and so production has begun on a flock of sheep to go with my best seller But I'm Not Sleepy. And when I say production has begun I mean I have knitted a sheep's head... but the rest will follow I'm sure, after all following is what sheep do best...

So, after two false starts, where I realised that 11.30pm is not the best time to start a new creative project, I set off again with knitting needles and wool, and made a start. What was that, do I have a pattern...? No of course I don't, that would be far to easy... after all the wool started off as a sheep, I just have to turn it back into a smaller sheep - I don't think I'm quite ready for a life sized sheep to take along to fairs with me, I do have a wheelie crate now to take the strain, but that might be taking things a bit far.

As soon as I have a completed sheep I will post a picture  - oh dear, I do like to put pressure on myself don't I...