Let's spin some zwartbles wool into yarn to commemorate a dearly beloved pet sheep

[@ClaireOttman]

When I first started spinning 50 years ago, the only place you could get wool was from a farmer. My sister had a friend with a pet sheep named Woolite. The friend threw the wool away every year and was happy to give it to me. After the third year, I thought it would be nice to make something for the friend. I knitted a scarf. When my sister gave it to her friend, she cried because her sheep had died that same year. Woolite's fleece was almost as soft as merino. Her fleece was made into many scarves and mittens for my family. It's nice to remember our animal friends even if we never got to meet them in person.

[@MijnWolden]

What a beautiful story ♥️

[@deborahbush6183]

Wonderful tribute to Vic his owners will surely appreciate the thoughtfulness. Always enjoy your podcasts. Thank you.

[@Kera.S.]

My dad passed away in May and this weekend the family got together to spread some of his asses. I was also given his ties and some shirts to make something from. I was so excited to get those. My Bonus Mom even brought me the quilt I made dad that kept him warm up until his last breath. I can't express how much more that quilt means to me having it back now. It's such a bigger gift to me than I could have ever given! 💙 Thank you for sharing your process with us and your lovely sweet spirit with the world!

[@MijnWolden]

My grandmom's knitting books were also the most precious things to me after she died. She has written some notes in a lot of them, and now they feel like little notes to me

[@Laverne732]

A wonderful tribute to Vic ❤ I also was raised Roman Catholic, and 100% believe my past puppy dogs have come to visit me from beyond the veil after they passed (one I heard her collar jingles and the other her claws on my hard wood floor!) My family has lost more animals (to old age) than people, but its still is painful. Since I started spinning, my mom gave me some of my old dog’s fur that she saved so I could spin it into a bit of yarn that she could use to knit me a small stocking ornament for my Christmas tree. I was waiting until I got a drum carder (which I now have) so I will have to do that in the coming weeks

[@siarlpotatoshoe]

i cried thinking about the animals i have lost while i watched, but it was a cathartic crying. i think these skeins of yarn will be so appreciated. i wish i had something like that for my lost pets.

[@annieclayton2123]

You are a delight to watch. I love your musical tune that you play while working. Beautiful yarn from your dearly departed pet sheep ❤❤ Bless you, I’m a Seventh Day Adventist ❤

[@jenniferbrighty5120]

Hi Jente, I hope you're OK xx ❣️❣️❣️❣️ Thankyou so much for sharing this video podcast. I'm so sorry for your Grandmom passing and also for the family that lost their pet Sheep Vic.😊😊 Its many many years since my parents passed. Unfortunately I don't have anything to remember them , apart from memories and they last a life time. Pets are hard to lose, We lost the last of our 4 cats last year We'd had 3 from being tiny kittens one that was Unfortunately abandoned by its owners, it was old and very sick, they moved house. She only lasted about 5 months that for me was the hardest of them all to lose. I think Vics owners will really appreciate your Gift, it seems such a tribute and your Kind Generosity is the most beautiful thing to do.🐑🐑🐑🌟✨️ I hope you make something special for yourself from Vic Fleece. 🐑🐑🎉🐑🐑 I hope you have a Wonderful Weekend 🌟🌞✨️ Happy Blending and Spinning Sweet Fibre Friend 🌾🎡🥰🐑🥰 Take care and stay safe Lots of love, Blessings and Huge Hugs Jen xxxx ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂

[@MijnWolden]

Pets are hard to loose indeed. Too bad our two previous dogs were very short haired and I didn't spin yet...

[@cassafrass098]

Using crafting as a tool to process grief and death is so powerful! After my grandfather passed, my grandmother gave me permission to use his shirts to make a quilt and pillowcases. She uses that quilt every night on her bed, and every day on her couch, and being tucked under its warmth is a little like still having my grandfather at home with us. Thank you for sharing a commemoration of Vic with us, and for creating something for his owners to remember him by, I am sure it will bring them comfort.

[@MijnWolden]

That's beautiful ♥️

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

Just saw the notification pop us as I was grabbing my tablet. EEK! Will edit after watching. 😊 Edit: Rest in peace Vic. Your kind gesture Jente, of spinning several batts of Vic’s fleece into gorgeous skeins of yarn for them to look at, squish and admire, to enjoy and knit, weave or crochet something with and perhaps later enjoy wearing, is a wonderful and thoughtful gesture. I have no doubt Vic’s guardians will immensely appreciate it. There is no better gift. Underneath the chaos and yarn shenanigans there is a truly kind person and thank you for sharing this side of you! Death is a funny thing. So many of us are scared of it, hide it, refrain from talking about it, feel uncomfortable sharing our grief or feel uncomfortable when we’re around someone who is going through a loss. So many of us don’t want to burden others with that grief. On the flip side, so many of us feel equally uncomfortable laughing, sharing the good memories about the dearly departed, thinking others will think we’re “supposed to be grieving (more)” as if honouring the departed by celebrating their life, their quirks, the shenanigans they were up to, takes away from the grieving process. So we hide it all. We don’t talk about death. Yet we get memorial tattoos, have ashes of the departed worked into artefacts, jewellery, and whatnot. We distribute memorial cards at funerals. We hold services. We erect monuments. We write poetry and books. We create charities and funds, place memorial benches and pass laws named after or dedicated to the departed. Everyone copes in different ways. Several skeins of yarn thoughtfully and kindly spun out of Vic’s fleece and generously gifted back to his owners/guardians is, IMHO, a very suitable tribute. Yarn shenanigans by a kind chaos goblin with a soft heart, is how I’d sum up this video. 💖

[@MijnWolden]

Damnit I'm about to cry. How beautifully written!

[@CrownedLadybug]

This is a really kind way of remembering an animal, and a really kind gift to give A couple years back, one of my closest friends died unexpectedly. She lived across the globe from me and we never met face-to-face. And then all of a sudden, she was gone. Not having anything physical to connect to her made the pain all that much worse, and I ended up going out just to buy a trinket to commemorate her and have something small to bring me comfort. Six years and two weeks later, it still hurts, but I brought that trinket with me when I moved across Europe with very limited luggage, and it sits on the shelf behind me as I type this. Physical items can help so, so much while grieving On a lighter note, zwartbles are one of my favourite sheep breeds as well! Though I don't spin and have only touched the wool of them when petting the actual sheep. They're just such lovely animals! Such stark colouration! And I'm so weak to sun bleaching on black

[@MijnWolden]

Oh I'm so sorry for your loss!

[@suzannemortimer9752]

I made a memory heart for my daughter in law from her dog’s fur. I spun it with a similar coloured fibre in order to have a more stable yarn to knit the heart and used the remaining fur to stuff it.

[@MijnWolden]

That's so sweet ♥️

[@stephanielaakson8960]

Good evening all. What a good heart you are. I have only spun zwartbles once so far and really liked it. Lol, he'd give alpaca a run for their money in the dirt department lol. lovely Vic yarn!! Faith in the hereafter is neither left or right. It simply is. I am not a religious person but have faith in the creator. Have a fabulous today, Steph

[@MijnWolden]

That is true, however it is the stereotype that christians lean more right/conservative.

[@majorobinson9355]

Wat een mooie wol

[@alexvanderpol1]

What a beautiful way to commemorate Vic! This yarn is such a nice gift for the owners to remember him by!

[@MijnWolden]

Now just finish it haha

[@alexvanderpol1]

@MijnWolden you can do it! Is it harder to finish a project when the KZbin video is already out? I could imagine it is.

[@MijnWolden]

@@alexvanderpol1 Well, sorta, because now other projects get priority because of deadlines

[@genier7829]

Very sweet episode, and the yarn looks beautiful. I agree about physical mementos- I still have my old dog's bowl and collar.

[@resourcedragon]

I still have a spatula and a hairbrush with a certain Labrador puppy's toothmarks on them and another hairbrush with a kitten's toothmarks on it. I wouldn't throw them away for the world.

[@MijnWolden]

That's so sweet ♥️

[@bagladysendtheferalspinner3761]

I'm so sorry and feel for your loss. It is always sad to lose a pet no matter the animal. I'm glad that you can commemorate Vic in this way.

[@marthaturner3866]

Your tribute to Vic was just perfect. We lost a kitty this week, a very precious one to my grandaught so he is buried with headstone and flowers. A pet is family and we grieve for the loss. Thank you for your good cheer.

[@MijnWolden]

May your kitty rest in peace

[@Bean_Box_Knitting]

So sorry to hear of your grandmum. ❤ (I hope I spelled right what you call her). I adore the knitting joy she has instilled in you. It's a wonderful thing. Also Vic! The yarn you make may be one of the most treasured possessions the owner may ever have. What you said about Jesus' advocacy for equality, amen! ❤🙏

[@MijnWolden]

I actually called her bomma (a Flemish bastardisation of the French bonne maman) or meter (because she was also my godmother), and some of my fondest memories of her do involve knitting 😁

[@Dollcan]

What a wonderful gift and memory.

[@CalciferFan]

What a wonderful tribute! I love to spin Zwarbles, it has so much character and the colour is just gorgeous. ❤

[@MijnWolden]

Right? 😁

[@deborahspins2909]

A beautiful tribute. He will be missed greatly. ❤

[@TheRosewin]

I still have some of my very first hand spun. The sheep's name was basil. That yarn is over 40 years old, but I still remember him because I still have a tiny part of him to remind me.

[@MijnWolden]

Basil is a great name for a sheep

[@amydebuitleir]

I recently learned that "combination knitting" is another name for "Eastern uncrossed knitting". So now I can say that I also knit in the Eastern uncrossed style... with the occasional use of Norwegian purls in situations where that's more convenient or helps me. I find it so much more ergonomic.

[@MijnWolden]

Well, (Puts on nerd Cap), combination knitting is the combination between Eastern and western knitting, where either the knit or purl side is knit in an Eastern style, and the other in a western way. (Hence the name combination). But I can imagine this being very ergonomic and comfortable too!

[@Suzco123]

A beautiful tribute to Vic. Im sure your friend will appreciate what you've spun sooooo much. Im sure it will bring so much comfort ❤

[@MijnWolden]

I hope so!

[@rachelamdecker09]

I love this so much! Loosing pets is so heartbreaking. Being able to give this family a lovingly crafted piece of their dear friend will stay hopefully stay with them always. Even if one of them can't knit or crochet, someone else will probably be able to use it to make something for them. Another idea for a keepsake would be to needle felt a little version of Vic using his wool. ❤❤

[@MijnWolden]

Yeah, I thought about wet felting a bit of fleece too, but I'm not skilled enough in that yet

[@avocadowitchknits6629]

I'm so sorry for your loss. May she rest in peace.

[@fiberhag]

That skein is peak zwart-bliss ❤

[@MijnWolden]

Badum tss

[@ZimVader-0017]

I need to finish the crochet dog I was making. It's the same breed and colors as my own dog, who passed away this July. I only have the head to finish. I'm planning on placing it next to his urn. I did make a small altar with his picture, his collar and the funeral home even gave me some of his fur, which I placed inside a little glass bottle. The little crochet plush will be the finishing touch.

[@MijnWolden]

That's so sweet ♥️

[@Sarahgetsdressed]

Jente this is a lovely tribute. And there is room on the radical left for all people whose beliefs culminate in the benefit and communal support of all. I'm not christian anymore, but I remember Jesus teaching to love and serve all. That's the core of my belief regardless of whether it's religious or not.

[@MijnWolden]

I feel like striving for equality can come from many ways of living, but are all centered around a strong feeling of injustice.

[@broski9938]

wiccan, raised agnostic and I love your perspective on Christianity. giving me hope for the less reasonable ones

[@etienne6916]

this was a lovely video :)

[@MijnWolden]

Thanks!

[@deejcarter2003]

Add a bit of gold Stellina to the batts and the heavens will open and sing your praises!😂

[@MijnWolden]

Hahahaha yes

[@lgassin]

Beautiful and timely meditation and tribute! Have you ever heard the Easter Sermon of St. John Chrysostom? So many great lines in it...."Christ is Risen, and you, O Death, are annihilated!" :)

[@MijnWolden]

I think I have, however st John Chrysostom is more popular with Eastern churches if I'm not mistaken

[@Darcie-smalt]

This is so sweet, and the yarn is gorgeous! It's SO fluffy. Jesus does make a significant difference in the view of life on this earth, and hope in the next. Death becomes less tragic in the sight that we join Jesus until the resurrection of the dead. That said, death does still sting and the death of pets is heartwrenching. I also very much appreciate your videos, and how the church calendar influences your creating, even in small ways. I've been spindle spinning almost all my yarns counterclockwise, plying clockwise since I crochet a lot, and I simply enjoy the motion of it. I tend to add extra twist if I'm planning on knitting with it, but that doesn't really fix the issue when it comes time to use it, and now I'm wondering if it'll be easier to change the way I knit, instead of the way I spin...

[@MijnWolden]

Something that has such a great influence on my life in general, will find its way into my creating as well 😁

[@G.L.McCarthy-vr1oe]

💜🙏💜

[@ColorsofHopeCraftsASMR]

I agree with you about Jesus, and I needed to hear this now with what is going on in the United States right now.

[@rachelamdecker09]

@ColorsofHopeCraftsASMR I completely agree with you! Its chaos here right now. I'm not religious in any way, but all my favorite Christians in my life also share this belief. Its heartening to hear others all over the world can agree that caring for others, no matter what they look like, is important

[@ColorsofHopeCraftsASMR]

@ @ I’m glad! Someone commented on one of my posts or videos recently that we need light in dark places, and my art speaks to that. So I’m going to try to be more deliberate about that on my channel. I’m also going to make a rule that you’re welcome on my channel as long as you remain kind in the comments-and no, I don’t mean no constructive criticism. I mean no name calling, racial slurs, or attacking others. Someone hijacked my livestream chat last week and filled it with racial slurs. Everyone was telling me to shut him down.

[@MijnWolden]

That's horrible! I'm glad I've only had wholesome people in my comment section up until now, except for one creepy dude.

[@MijnWolden]

The news is bleak indeed... Luckily there are good people all around that we can look to

[@ColorsofHopeCraftsASMR]

@@MijnWolden I’m glad most of your viewers or awesome. Most of mine are, to-at least the ones who comment, anyway! Sorry you have a creep, though. You need to be careful. I developed a cyber stalker when I was doing online dating, so I messaged this guy I was talking to that I had a cyber stalker and needed to shut down my profile, but I wanted to stay in touch with him. He gave me his number, and 27 months later, we got married! So I’m very glad I reached out to him before blocking the stalker from my life!

[@AutumnFictions]

I know it's silly in the midst of a serious discussion, but I love that your accent turned "humans" into "ewemans". Exceptionally appropriate and amusing.

[@MijnWolden]

I love this

[@RicaKramer]

Haha Buddhists love to talk about death and dying. We have death meditations and ceremonies of skull deities dancing to make us familiar what happens when we die. I went to a dying retreat and the Tibetan book of living and dying is famous. Have a lovely memory of loved ones day

[@spacefacecadet]

A very cool but not particularly "Christian" sounding idea of after life, if you could call it that. The fundamentalists i grew up with hate that type of thing. To me it sounds like it could also be described as an absence of an afterlife. Interesting conversation.

[@MijnWolden]

Yeah, church in Belgium is very much not fundamentalist. I wouldn't say it's the absence of afterlife, more like a non-individual afterlife? Like, I believe my grandmom lives on, and that she is still part of creation, but now more so than when she still inhabited her earthly body? Might still be a very broad personal interpretation.