I’m so glad that everyone is enjoying the story – we think it’s wonderful! So without any further ado let’s find out what happens next…

BUMP, BUMP.
Little Cotton Rabbit tumbled down into the Post Van jumbled with boxes
and parcels. Little woolly snores could still be heard if you listened
very, very carefully.

Little Cotton Rabbit felt safe and happy (which isn’t easy when your nose is being squished by a box!)

It was very quiet now. Little Cotton
Rabbit yawned a little woolly yawn. "Where am I? America is very, very
quiet" she thought. She wished and wished Julie was there.

Pink shoes, dotty dress, all knitted
with love. Little Cotton Rabbit was a little bit frightened. She’d
never been anywhere so quiet! Little Cotton Rabbit tried to be brave
(which isn’t easy when there are no woolly giggles, sniffles and snores
to be heard!)

BANG. Doors opened. Little Cotton
Rabbit’s parcel was bounced along. Noisy engines with smelly smoke made
Little Cotton Rabbit cough a little woolly cough. America waited.

Very,
very soon, little cotton friends began to send e-mails to Julie. They
had all arrived safely. Nothing was heard from Little Cotton Rabbit.

 
It
was very, very dark in the parcel. Lots of banging and shouting made
Little Cotton Rabbit give a little woolly shiver. Inside the crinkly
paper Julie had so carefully wrapped around Little Cotton Rabbit, a
little woolly tear began.

Little Cotton rabbit tried to shout, "Help! Help!" but without her little cotton friends no one could hear her.

"I’m a brave Little Cotton Rabbit
with pink shoes and a dotty dress and Julie loves me" whispered Little
Cotton Rabbit (but it isn’t easy to be brave when a little cotton
rabbit is all on its own!)

Very, very far away in America the lady was waiting for Little Cotton Rabbit. She emailed Julie.

"Oh, no! Our Little Cotton Rabbit is
lost!" said Julie to her children. It had never happened before. A lost
little cotton rabbit!!

A new little cotton rabbit was soon on its way to America and the lady loved her.
Little Cotton Rabbit was all alone.

"Pink
shoes, dotty dress, I’m a brave Little Cotton Rabbit knitted with love"
thought Little Cotton Rabbit (but she wished Julie was there to find
her!)

BANG. Doors opened. Little Cotton
Rabbit’s parcel was bounced along. Noisy engines with smelly smoke made
Little Cotton Rabbit cough a little woolly cough.

Little Cotton Rabbit was lost. No one
knew where she was. The lady in America was happy with her new little
cotton rabbit. All Little Cotton Rabbit’s friends were happy in their
new homes. Poor Little Cotton Rabbit. She shed a little woolly tear and
gave a little woolly sniff. All alone.

(what happens to Little Cotton Rabbit? Find out in the last installment tomorrow…)

Thanks so much for all of the suggestions on grated cheese removal – it definitely looks like getting a dog would be the best solution! I shall have to start buttering up my husband! Still there will be a lot less hoovering going on now Toby is back at school and a lot more knitting and blog reading!

One of the things I am most grateful about these days is that having a blog has led to contact with some of the world’s nicest people. I am regularly amazed at the warmth and generosity of people. Recently I received a wonderful story written about the adventures of the missing little cotton rabbit. Reading it for the first time left me teary (in a good way) and it is now a bedtime institution in our house – with Amy tightly cuddling the bunny that the story is about.

Jill, the autor and illustrator of this story has very kindly agreed to let me tell the story here on the blog and so over the next 3 days I will post it in installments. I’m sure, like Amy and me you will find it beautifully written, wonderfully illustrated and completely enchanting, so if you’re sitting comfortably then we’ll begin…

A little Cotton Rabbit Story.
Written and illustrated by Jill Westgarth

Little Cotton rabbit was waiting. "Knit me! Knit me" she thought.
All the rabbits, bears, pandas and foxes hiding in the wool were excited.

"Pick
me! Pick me!" Little Cotton Rabbit wished so hard her nose began to
twitch (which isn’t easy in the middle of a ball of wool!)

Julie
began to knit. She knitted and knitted. Very, very soon Little Cotton
Rabbit had ears, eyes, a nose and a very happy smile.

"Pink
shoes! Pink shoes!" Little Cotton Rabbit wished so hard her toes began
to tap (which isn’t easy when your shoes are being knitted!)

Julie put her clever fingers into the bag of wool.

"Dots! Dots! Polka dots!" wished Little Cotton Rabbit.

Very, very soon Little Cotton Rabbit dreams of pink shoes and a dotty dress came true!

Little Cotton Rabbit sat with all the friends Julie had knitted. They waited. It was such a special day.

"Pick
me! Pick me!" Little Cotton Rabbit thought. She sat very, very still
(which isn’t easy when an adventure is about to begin!)

Julie looked for a rabbit to send to America.

"Pick
pink polka dots!" thought Little Cotton Rabbit, "with pink shoes!" She
wished so hard her nose twitched and her toes tapped (which isn’t easy
when you’re trying to sit still!)

Julie
wrapped Little Cotton Rabbit up in crinkly tissue paper and tied a
beautiful bow with ribbons to keep Little Cotton Rabbit safe. Very,
very carefully Little Cotton Rabbit was put into a white comfy parcel.

Little
Cotton Rabbit snuggled down in her crinkly package. She tried to be
brave (which isn’t easy when your comfy parcel is being squashed with
things called labels!)

All
the little cotton friends were ready for their adventures. Little
woolly giggles snuffled from the parcels as Julie left them in the Post
Office. Julie felt sad. So did all the little cotton friends. "Bye"
said Julie and went home. Her fingers were itching to start knitting
more Little Cotton friends.

Very,
very soon, little woolly snores could be heard as the friends fell
asleep. The Post Office worked hard to send all the parcels on their
way.

Little Cotton Rabbit wasn’t asleep. What was America? What would it be like? Little Cotton Rabbit was very, very excited.

"Bye Julie" she said in a little
woolly voice. Pink shoes, dotty dress, how happy Little Cotton Rabbit
was (which is easy when you’ve been knitted with love!)

(to be continued tomorrow…)