Thanks for all of your Merry Christmas wishes, they were just lovely.  I do hope you enjoy the last Ribbon Tin of the year. It is a short one in keeping with all the real world festivities ahappening.  Happy New Year!

Inside the Ribbon Tin is a monthly series featuring a miscellany of bits and bobs, odds and sods, knicks and knacks, all sorts of interesting things related to textiles and making.  Next year, the Ribbon Tin will become an occasional series rather than a monthly.

All of our toy sheep came out to join the Christmas Pantheon in our dollhouse over Christmas. There is a hand carved one from Sweden and two from Germany, a Playmobil orphan lamb that came with a bottle and what I think must be a Schleich one. How funny we have all Euro sheep in our wooden house. And yes, that sheep has red eyes!

I am not sure where Mr December hales from. He was sent to me last year by long time reader Susan and he surely is a most handsome beastie.  I have been saving him up to share with you.

By some strange occurrence, we seem to have a fair few board games that feature sheep that I thought would be fun to share with you. Woolly Bully by Philippe des Pallieres is a sheepy version of Carcassonne with wolves and shepherds thrown in.  It is for 2-4 players, seven years and up.

Bobby Sitter by Jean Marc Courtil just joined our family this Christmas.  This is a really fun game where you have to respond very quickly the presence of sheep or a wolf in a turned over card by grabbing a sheep dog token or a sheep token.  Make the wrong action and you loose a sheep but do the right action before everyone else and win another sheep.  First player to collect five sheep is the winner.  This is a fast game and is easily adjusted so that younger players get a fighting chance. Our five and eight year olds took to this one immediately.

Lacking the necessary three grown up players of an evening to give Settlers of Catan a proper go, I got Rivals of Catan by Klaus Tauber, a card based version of the original game for two players. This is a beautiful card game and isn’t too long or complex for tired parents to manage after settling the wee ones. My favourite part is building wool growing regions, especially if I can place them next to a wool ship and weaver’s shop to increase my production. This will never cease to delight me.

Any sheepy board games to recommend?

Have a safe and happy New Year’s and see you on the other side.