August 27, 2017

Changed my mind about the colours - I wanted something a bit brighter and more opulent-looking. Royal blue seems a good starting point!

October 19, 2017

After a long break I’ve come back to this project and Mercury is actually beginning to look like a horse! Still headless but getting there… the prospect of playing with all those sparkly bits is spurring me on to finish .

October 22, 2017

Main construction finished now. I deliberately made the head a bit smaller by using a smaller hook (and just half-hexagons for the ears) but it’s still proportionately large, so Mercury is obviously a very young pony, and new to the job!

To make sure the neck will stay stiff I stuffed it enough, then stuffed it some more, then pushed in about twice the amount again! The head sections were sewn together separately then attached to the neck last of all, so I was able to push small pieces of stuffing in right up to the last stitch.

I’ve learned that these animals generally need very firm stuffing to be effective, at least the ones with long limbs and necks which would otherwise splay or droop. I also made the two square patches between Mercury’s legs more of a narrow diamond shape, and finished off with some judicious surgical stitching (ouch) to bring the legs closer together.

October 26, 2017

Always difficult to judge the moment as I could go on adding bits and pieces forever… but to all intents and purposes Mercury is now properly kitted out and complete. I have a vague feeling that given his name he should have little wings somewhere about his person, but that may be a metaphor too far!

I imagine him being ridden by a beautiful Arabian princess, dressed in flowing robes in matching blue, green and silver .