When my son was a baby I taught myself to crochet granny squares. After a bit of trial and error I managed to master the technique and I was hooked! The repetitive action of moving the hook through the yarn was meditative and satisfying. Hours could be whiled away…
Initially I was aiming to make lots of little squares to form a blanket but the square I began with just grew and grew until it became a huge blanket for my bed. It consisted of 100% merino wool and was costly and heavy but perfect for a cold winter’s night. I’ve since made one for my sister’s baby, one for my son and others for pure joy and relaxation. There’s something so satisfying about seeing how the colours of the yarn interact and evolve.
Last summer I decided that I wanted a whippet. I’d had a whippety lurcher years ago (he often appears in my paintings) and I ‘d really loved him but he became very jealous when my son was born so sadly I’d had to re-home him. Now my son was older it felt like the right time to look into it. I think it’s important for kids to grow up with animals and learn how to treat and respect them. I signed up online to Just Whippets Rescue and began making a blanket for the whippet I was hoping would join our household, not knowing when this would occur. Each time I picked up my crochet I visualised having a female whippet, good with kids, house trained, easy going and around 4- 5 years old.
The VERY day that I finished the blanket I received a call from Just Whippets Rescue  – a 5 year old female whippet needed a new home and she was only 5 minutes walk away from our house! This was definitely fate. She matched my criteria exactly. We visited that evening and walked home with her, my son holding her on the lead. She settled in instantly and we feel as if we’ve always had her. She’s the most gorgeous little thing and spends many hours nestled right under her handmade blanket, snoozing the day away, just as I imagined she would.
