Ed,
You're not alone, nobody who handled the ring could see the sheep in it, which is why I thought it would take far longer than it did before someone got it,
Les,
I couldent comment, but I've always known them as the 'Woolly bush suicide squad', due to their habit of deciding to cross the road, just as you draw level with them in the car!
I know that chess knights are turned in a similar way then cut out and carved. I have always wanted to have a go at it, this seemed like a good way to practice. I was also able to use up a blank that was otherwise useless (soft and worm eaten, you can see the holes if you look).