Needle

From Needle of the Threadings

Companion to King Crispin

This is not the sort of thing I normally do. I leave it to other animals to do the wordy stuff. However, Fingal keeps saying I should have a go at this 'blopping'? 'blugging'?' talking to you sort of stuff, and you know what he's like. He won't shut up until I've done it. What do I have to tell you about?

At the Tower we are working on a Threading to do with Corr and - oh dear - I'm not allowed to tell you about that unless you don't know his story yet. But the Threading has a lot of sea in it and that makes your eyes go funny after a while, so I took a couple of days off and came to see She of the Stories.

Now, She of the Stories loves doing all sorts of sewing, but to be honest, she - let me put it like this. She's best with words, not craft. When I saw that work basket - more the size of a picnic hamper - I couldn't help staring. I dared to mention that it could do with a sorting out.

'Oh, please do!' she said. 'And help yourself if you want any wool. I've got lots of odds and ends that need a home. And ribbons, too.'

It was very exciting. There is fleece in there waiting to be spun, and all colours and textures of wool, some so thick you should knit it on tree trunks. Gold thread - to be honest, she's a bit of a magpie for anything shiny. The beads are all mixed up in their little boxes and there's some lovely ribbony stuff made from recycled sari fabric. I might use that for the new Threading, because it looks like the sea. It even sparkles! There are half-finished cushion covers and a pattern for a felt animal. (I think it's a rabbit, but I'm not at all sure. They're very rare where I come from.)

And on her desk is a rather pretty little card with a cross-stitch Threading of a squirrel. I asked her about it, and she told me that the words inside were 'don't you love red squirrels?'.

"Did somebody send you that when you wrote our stories?" I asked her.

"Oh no," she said. "This card helped me to find you all."

WIll she tell us more?