The Determinin' of Species

Hello, this is Annemarie de Vries, reporting from the Village of Hawk Run Hollow. I’ve been stationed here since… oh, 2006, 2007? Nothing ever happens here, really. It’s quiet and peaceful. Every now and then, once every few months or so, there’s a bit of a hubbub when one of the nine builders who still need to finish their work decide to get out of their lazy beds and do some bricklaying, hammering and cussing, but overall, this Village is about as sleepy as another famous Hollow you may have heard of.

During my time here at the Hollow, I have noticed a little discomfort, a little dis-ease, a little je ne sais quoi when it comes to the animals around here (if indeed they are animals). The beasts in Block 4, for instance, were cause for some discussion over at the inn the other day. I say they’re goats, all the others say they’re dogs. Perhaps they’re a mix? Goags. Doats. I’m pretty sure they’re goats, but whatever.

The thing is, this reporter isn’t the only one who’s confused about the odd-looking animals. See the look in that cow’s eyes? I don’t know about you, good reader, but I think that is quite an interior monologue going on behind those crazed eyes:
What the moo type of creature is accosting me now? I don't know. It sure as hay ain’t no cow and it certainly ain’t human, so what is it? WHAT? It’s not canine (I think), it’s not feline (I think), it can’t be chevaline... equiuine... well, it’s not a horse, either. The tail’s too long for a rabbit, too thin for a squirrel, too curly-uppy for a rat... We don’t have monkeys over here at Farmer C. L. Odhopper’s Dairy (although admittedly Mrs. O. has a whiff of squirrel monkey about her. Squirrel monkey, squirrel monkey. Could it be...?) And just what is the creature handing me? Is it an acorn? A peanut? Chocolate? Liquorice? Cheese? WHAT? I implore you, HRH stitchers of the world, to put my mind at ease and tell me what sort of animal has weaseled its way into this here Block with moo.

Thank you, Cow. I’m sure one of these days someone will come up with the solution to this riddle, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this creature turned out to be that bloody goat from Block 4 again.

Now back to Annemarie the stitcher and good riddance, Annemarie the reporter.

So, this is what I do when I stitch. Trying to get inside the minds of the objects/animals/people appearing on my linen. I know. There’s a reason why I live in a small house in the middle of a forest, away from society. Anyway, to those of you who saw the above pictures and immediately hoofed it to their Hawk Run Hollow wall because they can’t remember having seen a cow in the Village of Hawk Run Hollow before, let me explain what happened: the block that I’m stitching is actually Block 10 of the Houses of Hawk Run Hollow. I love both pieces enormously, but really, there is not a chance in this whole wide world that I will ever stitch both of them, so I thought I’d mix them up. There is one other block that I intend to replace, but let’s just see if I can finish this one before we discuss the other one, shall we?

Apart from trying to get inside a cow’s mind, I’ve been knitting, too. A new, lovely, warm, long pair of socks that I’m naming Briar Rabbit Socks, but please don’t get me started on that story now. It’ll do my head in.

Yours befuddledly,
Annemarie.