A few days into our self-imposed 14-day quarantine upon returning from Europe, I’m just a little big flummoxed by the yarn pile that returned with me from Sweden. I’ve gone from “where’s the wool?” to “where do I stop?” I did actually try to limit purchases from small producers to ones that might be most easily found. HOWEVER, the problem is that I kept finding really interesting blends, or in one case, a whole skein from Texel sheep. These sheep aren’t high up the list of those chosen for their wool (they are primarily a meat sheep), but their fleece is found in some yarn blends, and they are definitely cross-bred with other sheep for a variety of reasons.
I think of these as the bulldog of sheep. They are a hefty breed, quite chunky in fact, but I understand they are very sweet and docile.
Being unable to contain myself, I will shortly begin a swatch and report the results in my next post.
Here is the rest of the pile. I do actually have ideas for actual knitted garments for a few of these, but currently most of them will be simply swatched and reviewed to gain more insight into the world of Swedish sheep, the fleece, and the yarn. At the bottom of the pile is a whole fleece that also will need attention. Opening up the compression bags let out a wonderful “sheepy” smell that brought me right back to the fleece sale in Kil where I found a gorgeous Gotland fleece to bring to my spinning teacher. It’s huge, so after processing, should yield quite a bit of yarn. I can’t wait to hear what she plans to do with it.
Here is another current puzzle for me. As a vegetarian, I no longer eat meat or fish. Part of the reason for this is health (although it easily could be argued that humans are evolved to be at least partially meat eaters). The other has to do with my reaction to a documentary I saw on the Amazon a few years ago. When I saw how many acres of rainforest were being destroyed daily to plant corn to feed cows, and to provide grazing land for those cows, I felt physically sickened. It a health as well as an environmental decision to stop eating meat (the fish prohibition at our house also has to do with the destruction of the marine environment through global warming and the over-use of fossil fuels).
So how do I reconcile my diet habits with the Swedish sheep industry and its focus not only on wool, but skins and food? It remains a bit of a puzzle. On the one hand, over the past few years there was considerable drought in Sweden that ruined pastures for feeding. Many lambs that had been destined for long lives had to be slaughtered or they would have starved. This, of course, upset the entire economy and planning model for the farmers expecting to devote a portion of their herds to food, to breeding, to skin products, and to wool. It also immediately depressed the value of meat and skins, and threatened the future production. Would/should I change my eating habits to “take advantage” of the excess of meat available? No. The situation in Sweden is one where there is a very conscious effort to live in harmony with the planet and not over-produce and consume excess resources, so I have great sympathy with their situation.
The wool is another matter all-together. Wool still has a low value, and much of it is burned and/or used for compost. While that seems wasteful, the market remains small. There is a push-pull between shepherds and spinning mills because a “fair price” for the fleece is often too high to make yarn prices reasonable. As it is, yarn coming from nearly all of the Swedish mills (large and small) is very expensive to produce because its market is limited. It’s a circular situation that I want to see change. That is what, in a very small way, I hope to help accomplish through the publication of:
But in addition to the quandary of the vegetarian, there is the issue right now of travel. Aside from the real discussion of travel as a carbon-intensive/damaging activity, we are in a situation where travel may change forever. With Covid-19 in play, and the borders of nearly every country closing down, what will become of the world as we know it? The travel industry as a whole is in peril, not to mention every single person who is dependent upon that industry for a paycheck. But way beyond that, most people are now in a state of high anxiety over whether or not they will be able to survive. It’s frightening. I am generally ok, have enough food to eat, clean water, etc., but I’m feeling real stress over what might be the case for my friends, my neighbors, my town — for anyone who many not have the means to survive for weeks without income. We have no roadmap for this, and we have no idea what will come out on the other end.
On a personal note, I had a heart procedure in January, and while it may just be the anxiety we all are feeling, my heart has been racing at about 140 beats/minute off and on for the past week or so. My cardiologist wants me to get an EKG to determine what is going on. The issue is that my primary care doctor won’t let me come to the office because I’ve just returned from Europe. I called a nearby hospital and the technician doesn’t want to perform the EKG even though I have no virus symptoms. I’m currently awaiting a call to find out how to proceed. While I seriously doubt I’m a risk to anyone, I absolutely understand why they don’t want to see me, but now what? The only advice I’ve gotten so far is “stay hydrated.”
On the other hand, knitting is calming, so that is what I’m doing. I’m working on “the sweater,” which is slowly progressing. The part of the back I’m currently working on is very repetitive, so easy and a peaceful, nearly thoughtless activity. I stop now and then to rest my hands and read a little bit (fiction only at the moment). I hope we all successfully navigate this moment in history and have the opportunity to look back on it with perhaps a little sadness, but a greater understanding of our capacity as humans to survive and help one another.