August's Fibre Club Letter

It seems a very long time since I last posted about receiving the last Fibre Club Letter, but then a lot has happened in that time so its probably just me.  Anyway, I've got the latest letter giving details about the theme and clues to the colours that I may receive.

The letter reads:

August 26th marks the 250th anniversary of when Captain Cook set sail from England aboard HMS Endeavor.  During that 3 year voyage he travelled around the southern tip of South America, to the Pacific Ocean as a scientific voyage to record the transit of Venus across the sun as part of a Royal Society enquiry to find a way of measuring longitude. 

This was a major issue for ocean navigation. Mariners could calculate their latitude using a quadrant and taking measurements of the sun at noon. This allowed navigators to calculate the north-south position on the globe.  However, there was no reliable measurement for calculating longitude. This often lead to ships hitting reefs or hidden rocks unexpectedly as it was very easy for a ship to calculate its longitude incorrectly.  The best scientific minds of the time were trying to solve the problem of calculating longitude.  In the end the solution was solved by John Harrison, a Yorkshire carpenter, who was able to develop a clock that was accurate enough to be used at sea. 

Once the calculations were made Cook completed his voyage by going on to Australia and New Zealand. They were the second European voyage to reach New Zealand, and the first to reach the Eastern Coast of Australia, they made landfall at Point Hicks, and then went on to Botany Bay. He made an incredibly accurate map of New Zealand, the Cook straight, between the North and South Islands is named after him. 

Originally this fibre was going to be inspired by the art that the Aborigine people make, but the Aborigine people are quite rightly protective of such a vital part of their culture. The more I researched the topic, the more uncomfortable I became with using this as my inspiration. I do urge you to go and look at some of the artwork in the links below. 

Instead I’ve drawn my inspiration from the third voyage that Cook made. On this voyage he sailed back to New Zealand, by way of South Africa, and then headed north in the Pacific ocean, hoping to find the North West passage, linking the Northern Atlantic to the Northern Pacific. This way ships could avoid the hazardous journey around Cape Horn and the tip of South America. On the way north Cook made land at Hawaii, the first Europeans to make land on the islands. From the islands he continued north, mapping most of the north west coast of America for the first time. He failed to find the North West passage, but did manage to map the extent of Alaska for the first time. He set sail for home, and again stopped in Hawaii.  A dispute with the local people broke out, and Cook attempted to kidnap the King of Hawai‘i, Kalani‘ōpu‘u.  He was killed by the villagers in the resulting struggle. 

So the fibre this month is inspired by Hawaii, and takes inspiration from the volcanoes that have created the islands. 

She put links to various websites at the end of the letter, which is what the comment refers to.

From spoilers divulged in the forum for the Fibre Club this will contain Merino and Alpaca for a soft smooth yarn that is not bouncy.

As far as colours go, I would love it if it were Merino in reds and oranges blended with black Alpaca to create something along the lines of a Volcano.

I can't wait to receive this one as I have also ordered some extra goodies from her shop too, which are all being sent out together in one big parcel.