Warm hands will be important later if not now.

'Tis summer yet, a Snuftkin be your lot!
But  'twill be winter one day, doubt ye not.

I'm loving that bit from a poem by Sir John Davies. A favorite of Elizabeth I, his poem has one of the earliest mentions of the snuftkin, snuffkin, snoskyn or muff.  What fabulous names.There's something sort of Willy Wonka to them.

I was also reading this article today:, Rainbow for a Reign:The Colours of a Queen's Wardrobe by Jane Lawson. Published in 2007 in Costume it is flat out scrumptious. It has a selection of the items from Elizabeth I's New Year's gift rolls examined by color. There are quite a number of snuftkins in a wide range of colors. Pinks and purples and oranges and tawnies with passemaine and embroidery. The descriptions are totally delicious. Now I'm thinking my muff might be a bit plain.

I love the Italian style buttoning muff though and with the buttons and border I hope it bears at least a bit of a resemblance to the inspiration woodcut from Vecellio. I decided on some of the original buttons I made for the loose gown with the brighter yellow and no blue between the spines. I've got 12 dozen, they may as well get used for something. I made the shanks and button loops blend into the fur, so they are done with brown thread. just simple buttonhole bars that curve, using a wooden gauge for size just like my last muff. I guess we have to call me an addict now with three of these now. Warm hands are nice to have and they look rather lovely hanging from a girdle. I'm certainly happy with the result. I suppose I will have to live with the Venetian name of manizza or the Florentine manichino. Snuftkin is just so much more whimsical.