David’s Hares – close ups

I really enjoyed working the Hares, and I thought you might enjoy a few close up and oblique views. I think there’s not much to say, as I’ve already said it, but if you have questions, please use the comments section and I will do my best to respond usefully!

More on David’s Hares

The yellow wool was really a lovely fabric to be stitching on, but being a bit mobile around the edges, I decided I wanted the circle of blanket stitch in quite soon, and didn’t keep it quite as neat as I might have hoped.

However, it looks lovely, the red contrasting nicely with the ground and will the brown hares (I keep wanting to call them bunnies, but hares have bigger ears, which must make it easier to share them!)

The innermost line on the ears is a pinky-cream mohair, and I’ve also used it for little pink pads on the hind paws. I’ve no idea whether this is accurate to life, but it gives the design a lift at the edges, and I think that has helped enormously.

You will note that I’ve kept all three Hares at the same rate of development all the way through. That’s made it easier to think of it as a single design, “David’s Hares”, rather than three versions of one hare. It also means that when I was working the progression of shades in the ears, I didn’t have to make notes, and while it’s true I’m a more note-taking-minded stitcher than I used to be, something like this is meant to be more freestyled!

I don’t know what I’m going to attach the Hares to, but I’ll think of something..

Here you see I’ve actually finished the stitching, including a pile stitch for the tails. I’ve not cut it, but left it soft and curled, which makes for a slightly stronger shape, and possibly more hardwearing too. But my goodness, pile stitches take more thread than you expect, even when you’re expecting it (if you follow me!)

Close ups will come in a later post, but in the meanwhile…

In Memoriam, David Singmaster, mathematician, metagrobologist, mischief, and friend. Thank you, David.

David’s Hares

Last year, The Australian’s world of mathematics and recreational mathematics lost one of its titans: David Singmaster, mathematician, metagrobologist, and discoverer of the wreck of a Punic warship (as you do!). David had a fine mind, contributing hugely to pure mathematics over the years, but his intense curiosity about, well, everything, lead to him writing the first book about solving Rubik’s Cube, and being involved in a fabulous book detailing the spread of the Three Hares pattern along the Silk Route. He was also a really lovely man, who enjoyed sharing puzzles with all and sundry. He was always seen with a drawstring bag embellished with those Three Hares, from which an assortment of physical puzzles and embodiments of mathematical principles would be taken for the bafflement of anyone within range.

It follows that when the British Society for the History of Mathematics invited The Australian to speak at a one day conference in David’s memory, I decided to sit quietly at the back, stitching a new version of the Three Hares. It’s a lovely woollen fabric, and I’ve chosen some wool I rather like to stitch it with, and started by transferring the design using running stitch through tracing paper.

I got it to this stage in the hotel the night before, and then got rid of the tissue paper in short order.

It was a wonderful day, many old friends, some lovely tributes to David, and some fascinating expositions of his work. And all through the day, I sat quietly stitching away at the Hares, for some of the time beside David’s widow, Deborah, who made the original bag that gave me the idea.

I’m quite pleased with how it’s going so far, especially as I was using my new Sketching Glasses (aka bifocals), so that I would be able to see the slides as well!