¿Quieres bailar?

One bright spring morning, this exuberant woolly creature appeared . . .

. . . at the top of my Carbeth garden.

On rainy days it likes to hang out in my shed . . .

. . . quietly knitting socks . . .

. . . but at sunrise, when the birds begin to sing . . .

it can sometimes be spotted performing a joyous dance by the raised beds in which I grow potatoes.

It is a kindly but elusive creature . . .

and comes and goes just as it pleases.

It speaks Spanish and Scots . . .

sometimes both at the same time.

On one occasion, it told me that it felt homesick for the vibrant, busy streets of Mexico City.

But on another, it spoke lyrically of the Cairngorms . . .

before saying that its heart had always been in the Port of Ness.

It enjoys the scent of juniper and gorse . . .

but flavours everything it eats with Chiles de Arbol.

It appreciates bright colours, geometric patterns, and the simple beauty of all things made by hand.

It loves woven, embroidered, and knitted textiles and is particularly fond of wool.

It thinks that comfortable clothes that you can really move in . . .

and which suit the environment and the weather . . .

are generally the best.

¿Quieres bailar? / Are ye dancin?

Made by Kate Davies in honour of Pilar Obeso Sánchez. Thanks to Applied Arts Scotland, The British Council, and the other women who participated in our Crafting Futures residency: Dalila Rubicela Cruz Fabian, Fiona Hall, and Soledad Ruiz Mendoza. Photography by Tom Barr.