Ene's Scarf

This scarf design is “Ene’s Scarf” by Nancy Bush, published in Scarf Style by Pam Allen (Interweave Press, 2004, p. 29). It was spun and knit during April of 2005 in anticipation of taking Nancy’s class in Estonian lace knitting at the 2005 Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival in May. According to the shawl’s description, it is “based on traditional shawls from the seaside town of Haapsalu where local women have been knitting lace garments from sheep’s wool since the early nineteenth century”.

This shawl is made from approximately 552 yards of a two-ply yarn that was spun from a New Zealand fiber mix of 80% Polwarth wool (bottom right) and 20% New Zealand possum (upper right). The fibers are un-dyed, natural colors. The shawl weighs 5.7 ounces.

Polwarth sheep are a dual-purpose breed (meat and wool) developed in Australia. They are a cross between Saxon Merino rams and Lincoln ewes, and were brought to New Zealand in 1932. The NZ possum has luxuriously soft fur and, though it's a cute animal sometimes, it is an enormous pest in that country, devouring native plants voraciously.