There’s some good news to report. Knit (Spin) Sweden! Second Edition goes live on April 1. Right now I don’t have the correct URL for ordering, but I’ll get it up here as soon as it’s available. I’d say it’s just about time, since it’s time to move on to sheep from Scotland (while I’m still trying to arrange for the Swedish translation of Knit/Spin).
So by coincidence, I’ll be landing in Edinburgh April 1, and preparing to give my talk about finding sheep in Sweden on April 2. I’ll have Sunday and Monday to do some sight-seeing. The last time I was in Edinburgh there was a strike at the National Museum. I’m hoping for better luck this time. There also are a couple of shops with Sunday hours that I look forward to visiting, and I’m sure to do a few touristy things as well. With encouragement from Bruce (my shopping enabler) I’m going to see if I can find a length of tartan belonging to my mother’s side of the family (the Robbs were not a whole clan on their own, but fell within that of the Clan MacFarlane).
Here’s one of the contender fabrics. There are at least half a dozen choices — antique colors, modern colors, dress tartans and hunting tartans. It’s all confusing and subject to interpretation. If my family is descendent from the lowland Robbs (near Loch Lomond), they wouldn’t have had tartans until the 19th century when there was a sort of romantic revival of things Scottish. On the other hand, the Robbs around Aberdeen in the highlands have a more interesting history — at least a couple of Robb women (Beatriux and Issobell) were accused of being witches in the late 16th century. That wasn’t particularly unusual for that time period.
They might have had their own tartan, but Robbs never achieved clan status, and would have been a subset (or sept) of a larger clan — probably MacFarlane.
I probably won’t get any closer to finding out the family history…my brother did in depth research years ago, and while we have a name for our Great Grandfather, who arrived in Kansas as a Presbyterian minister, we haven’t been able to discover exactly where he came from in Scotland.
Meanwhile…
I haven’t made any progress on the Fleece of Sorrow, but have started spinning my monthly breed school offerings again. I’m working on Rambouillet at the moment. What a lovely, soft wonder it is! I find I’m able to spin the singles quite fine, so am hoping for a plied finish that’s fingering weight.
This breed comes from a special breeding of Merino from Spain (1786). Before his beheading, Louis XVI brought a number of them to France (1799). They could be found in the US by 1840.
Tom and Kate Chappell (formerly of Tom’s of Maine) formed the company Rambler’s Way in 2006 to produce their “grown and sewn in the USA” rambouillet and cotton clothing lines. This fleece is definitely “next to skin” soft. Now if I can only spin it with enough twist to make it sturdy, but not so heavily twisted that it’s like rope!
Next up will be Max Loaghtan. I gave this a try about a year ago, and couldn’t get it to behave. Here’s hoping that all of the practice I’ve been doing will give me a better chance. Love those horns!
I’m currently knitting with some Castlemilk Moorit yarn. Boy is that hefty stuff! The yarn, sourced from the UK is dense and heavy, so I’m doing a simple Hebridean-style shawl (or hap) that’s a triangle with a little lacy edge. It has the feel of something extremely utilitarian, and no doubt it will be quite warm. It would appear that I might have to fight Lyla for ownership!
I’m cutting this short to continue editing my talk for the Scottish Wool Producer’s Showcase. I’ll be done with it this time next week.
Keep knitting and spinning!