An anonymous 13th century poem, The Names of the Hare, advises any man who would be lucky in hunting the hare, first to lay down whatever he is carrying, bless the hare with his elbow (?!!!) then to recite the 77 Names of the hare ( colourfully described by Seamus Heaney in his translation from Middle English. )

“The man the hare has met 
will never be the better of it
except he lay down on the land
what he carries in his hand—
be it staff or be it bow—
and bless him with his elbow
and come out with this litany
with devotion and sincerity
to speak the praises of the hare.
Then the man will better fare.”

There follows a list of names he must call the hare.

By the time all this ritual is carried out, I’d imagine the hare would be laughing, well out of reach of its would be captor!
For more info about the poem, visit: http://stylisticienne.com/heaney-and-the-hare/

Here is a pattern for you to capture your own hares in this lavender sachet. I can assure you that the laying down of knitting needles, and recital of the 77 names will not be necessary!!!

This is a quick and versatile knit using a very small amount of leftover 4 ply yarn, ideal to make a last minute, easy to post gift, or for trying out stranded colour-work knitting.

Finished size using 1.75mm needles is approximately 3” square, or slightly bigger if you use 2mm needles.

It can be filled with dried lavender and popped in wardrobes and drawers to smell sweet and discourage moths. Crafters can keep one in their project bags, doubling up as a needle/pin holder. Left unstuffed with a stiff insert, it would make a great coaster ( you could make a set in different colours! ) The pattern could easily be converted into a small drawstring pouch, ideal for keeping EarPods or tiny treasures safe.

Pop one under your pillow at night for sweet dreams.