Beloved Friends

I have been spinning the fur of departed special friends expressing spirituality through fiber art. Below you can read about Tashafur (Tasha was long passed when I met the family – I don’t know how it came up! She produced a bag that she had been keeping of Tasha’s fur (or Tashafur) and I said “you know, I could spin that!” I blended it with some wool that I had hand-processed and dyed, and then produced eight skeins of this. Even though you wash it a million times, it still smells like your old friend – for a dog owner, this is a real pleasure!) and Daphne (a White Samoyed who I was lucky enough to meet before she passed, owned by sound engineer Kristina Stykos). Samoyed fur is prized amongst hand spinners.

It gave me a real pleasure to help them commemorate their wonderful friends who had passed on.

Tashafur

Tasha and family

This is what we call affectionately ‘Tashafur’. It is some hand processed and dyed in the fleece wool blended with some of Mary’s beloved dog, Tasha’s fur. Tasha was a beautiful Australian Shepherd. Here are a few words from Mary about her wonderful dog:

“Rose spun wool from my beloved Australian Shepherd, Tasha, for me after my dog had died. She combined it with a hand-processed fleece to create the gorgeous blue wool pictured. Tasha was the best dog. We got her when she was 5 weeks old when we were living in Iowa and when she was seven years old, we moved to Scotland and she endured six months of quarantine before she could rejoin our family.

On the first night home with us, she immediately resumed her duties; she went upstairs with us when I was putting my three small children to bed and remained with them after I went downstairs, only coming down after they were all asleep. Four years later when we moved to Vermont, she came too, traveling with us by train to London, and then flying across the Atlantic in a crate. She continued to be an integral part of our family life until her death at 15.

Tashafur

I had kept combings of her beautiful fur for years, and Rose took those bags of fur and created this wonderful wearable memorial to her. I have been waiting to knit it into a cardigan for myself. My eldest son taught me to knit when he learned in first grade at a Waldorf school, and I have made numerous items since then, all for other people.

I have become quite skilled at making Aran knits, and I think I have become adept enough to make myself an Irish sweater from this very special wool. Thank you Rose, for giving me the opportunity to have this lasting remembrance of Tasha.”

Daphne

““We all stood in the kitchen last night oooing and ahhhing at the beauty of Daphne’s Legacy Yarn and feeling the special meaning it has to us. Thank you so much for your art and heart… and from all of us, keep up the amazing handwork. We are hugging it, petting it, and admiring it. Also have enjoyed your music, nice job! And love to read all the interesting notes.” –Kristina Stykos

Duke

“Duke was so interested in it I had to put it out of his reach.
I have never seen him that interested in anything before.
Thank you!!!!!!Yes!!!It is very beautiful!