From Vikings to sheep, locals travel to Iceland and beyond in search of history
Submitted by Martha Owen and David Liden Owners of Yarn Circle

PHOTO SUBMITTED Sheep graze over a stunning view at the Faroe Islands.

When most people plan a holiday it seems that they like to go to some tropical hideaway.

"We have talked about something like that year after year but the problem is that people don't wear wool in those places," concluded Martha Owen, co-owner of Yarn Circle in Peachtree.

"So this year my husband David and I headed noth, way north in the Atlantic Ocean, to Iceland, and the Faroe and Shetland Islands. We were looking for archeological remains, birds, fish recipes, interesting people and of course, sheep," said Owen, who has kept sheep for 27 years and has been teaching spinning and knitting for over 20 of those years.

"The Vikings left sheep on all these islands as they went off to pillage and plunder so that they would have something to eat and to make into clothing on their return."

The sheep are of the Northern Short Tail type which are very different from the sheep we commonly see around western North Carolina and north Georgia.

"As we traveled to these islands in the North Atlantic, I also began to notice all kinds of knitting styles and designs," observed Martha.

"Traditional Icelandic sweater designs are probably the best known, but we also saw some very contemporary knit and felted clothing in the more exclusive shops in Reykjavik.

"In the Faroe Islands we saw everything from very beautiful traditional clothing during their National Festival to an entire line of knit wear being produced for the trendy European fashion market.

"As Americans we tend to think there is only one way to knit and we are quite happy to continue to do what we have always done. But there are other styles, other ways of tensioning the yarn, that goes faster or make our hands feel less achy. I saw people bracing the knitting needle under their arm pit or wearing a belt or sheath where one very long double pointed needle was fixed so the knitter's hands were free to just push the stitches along."

All this "fiber traveling" by Martha and her partner Pam Howard will provide a very busy fall at Yarn Circle. Pam will do a demo based on the month she spent in Denmark learning Nordic weave structures.

"The Vikings used cards, or tablets, to weave intricate patterns to make braids and borders for heir garments," said Howard. "I even saw some early cards that were found at a Viking burial site."

Other fall classes and demonstrations will include weaving, spinning, various knitting styles, dying, needle felting, holiday ideas and even a visit by the "fastest knitter in the world" all the way from Shetland.

For more information and details call Yarn Circle at 828- 835-4592, email at yarncircle@ brmemc.net or check the website at www.yarncircle. com.