Today I’ve been knitting ‘Paddy – the Cork Leprechaun’. I was going to go out and celebrate St Patrick’s Day by swigging back some Guinness, but, you know.
Paddy – the Cork Leprechaun, a pattern by Magda Laine, is a tiny affair, knitted in the round, relatively quick to complete, and very uncomplicated. Plus the name is a play on words as ‘cork’ doesn’t just refer to the second largest city in Ireland, but to the stuffing you shove up its jacksy when you’re finished. Indeed, the pattern calls for a Champagne cork to fulfil this purpose. So really he should be called Paddy the Fancy Cork Leprechaun.
I didn’t start knitting until after tea. I haven’t knitted for a while given I’m usually writing this project up in the evenings, so it was lovely to get back to a bit of wool wrangling. And I was slightly proud I only had to consult YouTube twice, once to refresh myself on how to pick up stitches to knit the brim, and once to remind me how to SSK (slip two then knit them together).
However, I have to admit the result isn’t quite as leprechauny as I’d hoped for. To me Paddy has more of a leprechaun-Dr Teeth vibe. This was probably due to some sort of subconscious longing on my part as I always wanted to play in The Electric Mayhem.
So although my St Patrick’s Day wasn’t quite the craic I planned it to be, in these strange days it wasn’t a bad compromise. I find knitting a great distraction, and quite calming. Plus the end result reminded me of the best covers of Tenderly ever, which will never not make me happy:
Resources
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/paddy—the-cork-leprechaun
Poor Paddy – posh or not, that cork must have made his eyes water…
He also bears a striking resemblance to David Bellamy. And Mr Gum. Impressive!
Ooh he does have a touch of the Bellers! And yes, the cork is a tight fit…