Day 1: The #CowParade Project
Sometime last month, I saw a call for artists to submit an application to participate in Old Sturbridge Village‘s Cow Parade.
Anyone who knows me knows that I have a fascination with cows. I really can’t tell you why this long-time city dweller loves cows, but I do. They have a calm presence and energy that draws me. I still can’t drive by a herd without mooing out the window. What can I say? I’m easily amused. (amoosed?)
And while I’m not a painterly kind of artist, I am a skilled knitter and I thought, why not knit a sweater for a cow?
When we were in Iceland in 2023, we saw this statue of a pig wearing a lopapeysa (Icelandic stranded sweater) so I knew it could be done.
But this time of year is very busy and pressured for us as we have to get all the fruit trees pruned and get all of our garden beds planted. Not to mention planning for the Hardwick Fair.
Still, every time I thought of a cow in a sweater, I laughed. And it’s one thing I know: whimsy and happiness are in far too short supply.
So, with Neil not only not talking me out of it, but actively enabling me, I sent in my application, never dreaming my project “Yarning for the Past” would be selected.
Oops. It was.
I did a bunch of loose calculations and on friday I ordered 32 skeins of alafoss lopi yarn from Iceland.
The box of yarn and my cow both arrived today.
I spent some time today measuring my cow and coming up with my plan of attack.
First task? Swatching the yarn for gauge.
3 replies on “Doesn’t every farm need a cow?”
Yessssss!
I would be happy to come out with my enamels and paint the eyes, at least.
That would be cool! I can check in with the folks at Old Sturbridge Village. Since my project isn’t painted onto the cow, they were going to have an artist paint a logo on it and I don’t know what the plan actually is for that.