I apologize for going silent for such a long time. I had managed to sink myself into a hole that was a bit hard to climb out of, but I seem to have emerged again. I can credit some very special gifts for that. The first came a few weeks ago when I received a squishy bundle from my dear friend Josefin Waltin.
She had sent me a skein of handspun Tabacktorp; one of the most endangered of the heritage sheep. These very small animals (around 45-50 lbs.) hail from a single farm in the village of Västansjö in Värmland. It is reported that there were several farms with these sheep until the 1960s, and had been in that area for “as long as you could remember.”
Josefin had received this rare fleece from our mutual friend, Sandy Zetterlund of Swedish Fibre, and after spinning and plying it on a suspended (drop) spindle, sent half to me. This is the kind of sharing that is so often found between fiber lovers, and I assume other crafts as well. It’s not enough to have something this rare and special if you can’t share it with someone else.
I’m hoping Josefin will do a blog post on her experience with this fleece. She asked me what my skein wants to be, and I think lace mitts. I’m looking forward to posting a review of this fiber. It wasn’t available when we wrote Knit (Spin) Sweden, so this will be a fun update.
I’ve been doing a little random swatching with the yarn, and what I can tell you so far is that you get very good stitch definition with this firm and round spin, and there is very little fuzz from this fleece to obscure eyelets and holes in lace.
I started on a US 4 needle, but am not satisfied with the drape and expect I’ll move down a size. I’ll want a firm fabric to hold up to abrasion for something I’ll wear on my hands, and except where I place holes for lace, would want the fabric to be slightly more dense and cozy. Maybe I should explore a cable/lace pattern as well. As usual I have more ideas than the yarn available!
When I saw the list of instructors for SOAR I didn’t hesitate a millisecond to sign up. There were so many offerings that could help to improve my spinning and allow me to grow in the craft. The retreat turned out to be much more, however. The location itself is lovely. It felt from the first moment like the kind of retreat space I imagine fits the dictionary definition from Websters: a period of group withdrawal for prayer, meditation, study, or instruction under a director. But even more so: a place of privacy or safety; a refuge.
The retreat and the Chautauqua location were a refuge from Covid, from politics, from the frantic pace of day-to-day “normal” life. While we spent lots of time in masks to keep each other safe, there was no drama, no stress, no unhappiness (save for broken threads). I’ve not felt this calm and at the same time excitement and inspiration in a very long time.
The title of Kate’s class was “Make your Charka Sing.” After endless Youtube videos of charka spinning, my beautiful Bosworth charka had been sitting in a nearly permanent “time out.” It looks so easy. Just attach the fiber to a leader, cradle the sliver in your hand (as though it were a baby bird) and gently draft out a length, add twist, and roll onto the cop.
I attribute my newly-found skill with the charka to be directly related to the long-draw technique from my class with Maggie Casey. In fact, it’s really great that Maggie’s was my first class of the retreat, as it provided a great foundation for not only the charka class, but the Orenburg lace spinning and silk spinning that came later.
This week was a gift to me in so many ways. I felt, as did many others, that this first gathering post-Covid gave all of us permission to come together with other like-minded crafters to experience new friendships, new skills, and new challenges. Unlike what we have been dealing with in the “real world,” these challenges were about personal growth and inspiration. We all were removing our blinders we had used to keep the world stress at bay, and learning to breathe again. And, we were able to do this while remaining respectful of the underlying need to keep each other safe and healthy by following all of the rules of masks and social distancing (that isn’t always obvious in my photos, but many of the classes were held on screened porches where there was ample air flow to allow us to remove our masks).
My long draw samples — the good, the bad and the really ugly 
Handspun two-ply silk from John Mulaney’s spinning and card weaving class
In Knitting News
I’ve been slowly finishing a few projects that have hung around “in process” for quite a while. This is a shawl that had on my list forever. I love the cable, but wasn’t sure how it would look with this particular yarn. It’s a slubby silk, and although the nature of the yarn makes the cable somewhat subtle, I’m thrilled with the outcome. The shawl itself is really lightweight, but cozy because of the insulating properties of silk. It followed me to a wedding at the beginning of August that was located on the Long Island Sound. The breeze off the water made me happy to have had it along.
I’m also happy with this one. The Celtic knot on the back was really fun to knit, but when I got into the borders I seemed to have an issue following directions. Needless to say, the zig-zag border and the several finishing borders are not what were in the pattern. Oh well. They are close, and I’m satisfied with the modifications. Also, I wasn’t about to go back any make any more corrections. I hope the designer will forgive me.
This shawl awaits blocking, and I’m undecided about a closure for it. My Wednesday knitting group picked a button, but it turns out to be too heavy, so I’m still thinking. I do have a number of shawl pins that would do, but I’d rather have something more of a closure that I won’t have to keep fussing with when I’m wearing it.
Other than that, there’s quite a bit of swatching going on in addition to spinning and finishing the card weaving projects from SOAR. I also need to get back to research, and having found two nearby farms with Gotland and other interesting sheep, I need to plan a road trip to Connecticut. I also need to pick up where I left off with my research on Shaker knitting and reschedule a visit to the Shaker village and museum just to the west of us. In addition to the Shaker mittens and sweaters, I want to get my eyes on some of the knitted rugs. Those are really interesting, and deserve some in-depth research.
I promise to be better about posting. Meanwhile, I do thank you for being patient with me. Be well, and keep knitting, spinning, weaving, and whatever else catches your fancy!
About the book…..
It’s now official…Knit (Spin) Sweden is officially sold out of its first printing. I hope to have news on a second edition fairly soon (hopefully before the end of the year). Stay tuned!
**Chautauqua was an adult education and social movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua brought entertainment and culture for the whole community, with speakers, teachers, musicians, showmen, preachers, and specialists of the day. Former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt was quoted as saying that Chautauqua is “the most American thing in America.” From Wikipedia
So happy you are back!!
Thanks, Holly! Miss you!
Sara you never cease to amaze me…thank you for sharing…