Knit (Spin) Sweden!

Travel to Sweden, home to at least 19 different breeds of sheep and a centuries old spinning and knitting tradition. Meet the international famous and newly minted knitwear designers who live there and enjoy their sensational knitting patterns. Sara Wolf has reproduced knitting designs from Sweden's museums and translated them into knits using commercially available yarns. Josefin Waltin has spun the different breeds to show how hand spun yarns can be used to bring out the amazing characteristics of Swedish wool. Some of these sheep live north of the Arctic Circle. Others are primitive breeds descended from the earliest domesticated breeds. Join Sara and Josefin as they describe how to incorporate wool from sheep with locks a foot or longer into useable yarn, and discuss how to achieve next-to-skin softness from others by choosing an appropriate spinning method. Learn about the rise in interest in heritage and endangered species of sheep whose wool is now valued, where it was recently burned or composted for lack of a market. Find unusual, boutique yarns in cities, on farms, and at spinning mills across the country. Richly illustrated, with easy-to-follow written knitting instructions, there is something for everyone in this book, from the hardcore fiberista to the armchair traveler.