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In The Footsteps of Sheep: Tales of a Journey Through Scotland, Walking, Spinning and Knitting Socks by Debbie Zawinski is a record of her beautiful adventure of walking and camping alone throughout the Highlands and Islands of Scotland while drop spindling bits of wool found along the way, and then knitting her spun wool into socks. In the Footsteps of Sheep is a long time Thistler favorite and it is the essence of that woolly wanderlust that we nurture.
The book shares her travels on foot and the sheep and people she meets along the way. We learn in each chapter about the native sheep to the area she visits including Shetland, Hebridean, North Country Cheviot, Boreray, Soay, Castlemilk Moorit and so on. She shares her pattern for each of the pairs of socks she designs and knits from her handspun, and offers alternatives which are easier for us to find.
"Speaking as a native of Scotland, I know many of the places she visits and it's like going home and seeing the green grass and the sea just as it always has been, with sheep dotted all around the landscape. I haven't been to all the places she goes to so reading her words and seeing the landscape caught in her photos is such a lovely and relaxing way to experience a little wanderlust, that it makes me want to go home and visit those places immediately! ...and I'll pack a drop spindle as well because more often than not you come across a tuft of wool caught in a fence or a thistle. Honestly, it doesn't get much better than this for the avid fiber enthusiast who has ever thought about visiting Scotland." - Corinne
Very engrossing book
Just finished this book as it was a Christmas gift. Such fun to travel on this woolly adventure from my comfortable chair. I have traveled to several of the location, but this was a true wool journey. Great read.
The author sets out to collect “henty leggits” (bits of fleece caught on thistles or other spiked ground cover) throughout Scotland, including the Shetlands. It’s not your usual tourist-type vacation by any means. She travels to quite remote places, climbing rocky cliffs, etc. in search of bits of fleece from the sheep that reside there. These bits she spins and knits into socks as she goes. Each chapter ends with a sock pattern reminiscent of each island or place she visits. Each chapter tells the story of her adventures and I found myself going with her glued to every page. If you enjoy reading about Scotland and the Isles, this book is a real treat!
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