The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook

I haven’t finished reading this book, yes it reads like a novel you can’t put down. And, as a bonus, if a stray Yak or Musk Ox walks through your yard, this book will tell you what to do with that awesome fiber.

Got some buffalo fur hanging from the barbed wire of the farm next door? (Actually, yes, I do!). Collect it, turn to page 390 and find out that one hide can yield as much as 3-4 lbs of raw fiber. Find out about different colors, characteristics of the fiber and how you should expect it to act while spinning, knitting or crocheting.

This hardcover “coffee-table style” book is 438 full-colored pages devoted to just about every type of fleece and fiber animal you can think of. Beautiful photography accompanies every story. Maps show you where the critters are found and tabbed pages make it easy to find everything.

Find out why wool can be “prickly” next to your skin. How did the Jacob sheep get it’s name? Why is the Gray Suffolk considered rare? Find out what Badger faced means in an animal. Find out the difference between top and roving. A full glossary will tune you right in to the specifics of the language of “Fiber”.

More than 200 fibers – from animal to spun yarn! Get yours now by clicking HERE, to go to Knit Picks!

Next Pattern:

I’m honestly not totally sure what to say about the Sun King shawl pattern from Ursa Major Knits other than isn’t this cool? You should probably make one.

This modular design is worked in two parts, the “waxing” and “waning” sections. Both pieces are asymmetrical and use the same yarns in different ways to mix up the colors and make it even more interesting.

You can choose to use two contrasting solid yarns, a solid and a gradient or two complimentary gradients for your yarns. And you can use any weight of yarn and whatever gauge you like to make shawls of different sizes. There are also a bunch of different size options (seven, in fact) that take the project from a little collar like design to something more like a scarf to a large shawl that wraps around the neck to keep you warm.

The sample projects use fingering/lace weight yarn, but you can use whatever you have on hand to make your own beautiful version of this shawl. Using lace weight, you’ll need twice as much of one color as the other.

There are lots of yarn suggestions on the pattern page on Ravelry, and I love the color choices the designer made so much I’d definitely be tempted to use the same colors they did (there are a couple of different versions on the pattern page if you want to see how it looks in different sizes and different colors).

I love the little diamond shapes a the edges of the pieces, which add a little more drama to the project, as if it needed more.

I’m still not sure this boils down to anything beyond this project looks really cool and you should probably knit it, but that’s pretty much how I pick all the projects I share, so I guess that’s fine. You can check it out for yourself and grab a copy of the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Ursa Major Knits]

A Shawl to Wear While You’re Reading and Knitting

A Striped Shawl to Celebrate Progress [Knitting]

Next Pattern:

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