The Yak's Woolly Sweater

The Yak's Woolly Sweater - Author : Ebru Mina TOMURCUK

High on a windy mountain, where the clouds brushed the peaks, lived a yak with thick, shaggy chocolate-brown wool. His name was Yuri, and he had a creamy tan face, long curved horns, and small, gentle dark eyes. Yuri loved two things more than anything: his friends and knitting. Every evening, he sat outside his cozy cave with his wooden needles, click-clickclicking away, making warm sweaters for the cold days ahead. 1

Yuri's favorite sweater was mustard-yellow with cream stripes and wooden buttons. He wore it every day, along with a little knitted scarf. 'One day,' he said, 'I will knit sweaters for all my friends.' He imagined a tiny sweater for the rabbit, a long one for the deer, and a wide one for the bear. Just thinking about it made him smile. 2

One morning, the wind turned sharp and icy. Frost sparkled on the rocks, and the first snowflakes danced down from the sky. Yuri shivered, even in his warm sweater. 'Winter is here,' he said. 'My friends must be cold.' He packed his knitting bag with balls of yarn in many colors and set off down the mountain path to find them. 3

The first friend Yuri met was the rabbit, who was hopping in the frosty grass. 'Brrr!' said the rabbit, twitching her whiskers. 'My ears are freezing!' Yuri pulled out a tiny mint-green sweater with a pom-pom hood. 'I made this for you,' he said. But when the rabbit tried it on, it was too big. It slipped right over her fluffy tail and covered her eyes. 4

The rabbit giggled. 'It's a lovely sweater, Yuri, but I'm too small!' Yuri scratched his fuzzy forelock. 'You're right,' he said. 'I need to make it tiny.' So he sat down and knitted a smaller sweater, with a tiny hood and little wooden buttons. It fit the rabbit perfectly. She bounced with joy. 'Thank you, Yuri! I'm warm as toast!' 5

Next, Yuri found the deer, standing quietly by a bare tree. The deer's long legs were trembling. 'My neck and legs are so cold,' she said softly. Yuri pulled out a forest-green sweater with a turtleneck. But when the deer tried it on, it was too short. It didn't cover her long legs at all. 'Oh dear,' said Yuri. 'I need to make it longer.' 6

So Yuri knitted and knitted, making the sweater stretch down the deer's slender legs. He added ribbed cuffs and a long turtleneck. When the deer put it on, she looked elegant and warm. 'It's perfect!' she said, her large dark eyes shining. 'I can move freely and stay cozy.' Yuri beamed. 'I'm glad,' he said. 'Now let's find the bear.' 7

The bear was the biggest friend on the mountain, with thick dark-brown fur and broad round shoulders. He was trying to wrap himself in a small blanket. 'I'm too wide for my old coat,' he said with a jolly laugh. Yuri pulled out a rust-orange sweater with a cable-knit pattern. But when the bear tried it on, it was far too narrow. It wouldn't even go over his shoulders. 8

The bear laughed so hard that the snow shook off the trees. 'I'm a big fellow!' he said. Yuri laughed too. 'I need to make it wider,' he said. So he knitted a wide sweater with big wooden toggles, using the thickest yarn he had. It took a long time, but Yuri didn't mind. He wanted his friend to be warm. 9

When the bear put on the wide rust-orange sweater, it fit perfectly. 'This is the coziest sweater ever!' he boomed. He gave Yuri a huge, warm hug. 'You're a good friend, Yuri.' The rabbit and the deer came hopping and stepping over. 'We should celebrate!' said the rabbit. 'Let's have a knitting party!' 10

So all the friends gathered in Yuri's cozy cave. The rabbit brought a basket of soft white yarn. 'I found this on the mountain,' she said. 'Let's share it!' The deer brought some green yarn, and the bear brought orange yarn. They sat together, knitting and chatting. Yuri taught them how to make simple stitches, and they laughed as their needles clicked. 11

The rabbit knitted a tiny scarf for the deer. The deer knitted a little hat for the bear. The bear tried to knit a pom-pom for the rabbit, but it turned into a fluffy ball. Everyone giggled. 'It's the thought that counts,' said Yuri. 'And sharing yarn makes knitting even more fun.' The cave was filled with warmth and friendship. 12

As the snow fell softly outside, the friends sat close together, wearing their new sweaters. The rabbit's mint-green sweater kept her tiny body warm. The deer's long forest-green sweater wrapped her legs in comfort. The bear's wide rust-orange sweater hugged his big shoulders. And Yuri's mustard-yellow sweater kept him cozy too. 'We're all warm now,' said Yuri happily. 13

The bear raised his big paws. 'A toast to Yuri!' he said. 'He knitted sweaters for all of us, even though we're all different shapes and sizes.' The rabbit hopped up and down. 'And now we can share yarn and knit together!' The deer nodded gently. 'Generosity creates warmth,' she said. 'In more ways than one.' 14

From that day on, the friends met every week to knit. They made sweaters for other animals on the mountain: a striped one for a squirrel, a spotted one for a fox, and a tiny one for a mouse. Yuri learned that one size never fits all, but a kind heart can find a way to make everyone feel warm and included.