This is the second piece of 2012 🙂 I’m not in love with the photos I took of it, but it seems to big to scan and my new scanner isnt out of the box yet. But I grew impatient and wanted to show it off!
It shows a little folky fairytale-like scene of a little girl traveling through the woods with her basket when she comes upon a very dapper fox. I was thinking a little of the movie Fantastic Mr. Fox which is so good when I painted this. I wonder if this fox will get in as much trouble as the fox family in the movie did?
Anyhow…thank you all for your nice comments on my scarf. I really like it. There’s a lot to be said for nice, natural fibers. This has gotten me thinking too about historical knits. I’d love to learn more about the knitwear that our ancestors made and wore. I imagine for settlers in the wilds, a savvy woman with a pair of needles and knowledge of making her own fibers would have been invaluable. What were the mainstays of knitting 100, 200, or more years ago? Socks, I’m sure. Hats. Scarves. Protection against the elements. Did you know that when the puritans landed in North American we were going through a bit of a mini ice age? No wonder they thoughts they needed so many clothes and underthings. But I digress….I just always find quirky historical facts so fascinating.
But if you know of any books or websites about historical knitting, let me know! I feel inspired.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend. Although we have a tiny bit of snow still on the ground, the weekend here on the prairie is looking wonderful, in the 60s!
Enjoy your weekend and talk with you again soon,
~H
Sleightholm Folk Art 
Heather, Gorgeous painting, loving it~ smilesTeresa
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What a charming piece! I love anything with foxes and your painting is no exception. The snow-flake covered trees with the little bunny in the background have such a lovely feeling.
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Yes, lots of socks! And underwear! :-)I actually did know about the mini ice age (I studied 17th-century Britain in graduate school). The river Thames froze solid several winters, so the city of London held a fair out on the ice. It must have been magical!Speaking of magical, I love the painting. It's always such fun seeing your new pieces.
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Oh how I LOVE this painting! Mr. Fox is so sweet! What a beautiful winter scene. 🙂 I am bit behind on my blog reading, but I shall venture to your scarf post soon! Happy weekend!
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So lovely! I think the snowflakes just make the scene feel so magical. Foxes are one of my favourite animals too~
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I absolutely adore this painting! Please keep creating fairytale paintings!! This is such an interesting post; one of my main passions is historical textiles although my research led me more towards woven fabrics, lace and embroidery during the 16th and 17th centuries. A friend of mine, a passionate knitter, has a blog called Ruthcrafts. She is also contactable on Ravelry under the name ruthcrafts. She is quite knowledgeable about the history of knitting, I believe. She is also a lovely person.Have a good week.Stephanie
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I love Mr Fox:)
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