diff --git a/netlib/http.py b/netlib/http.py
index 21cde5386..736c2c886 100644
--- a/netlib/http.py
+++ b/netlib/http.py
@@ -136,6 +136,49 @@ def read_chunked(fp, headers, limit, is_request):
             break
     return content
 
+def read_next_chunk(fp, headers, is_request):
+    """
+        Read next piece of a chunked HTTP body.  Returns next piece of
+        content as a string or None if we hit the end.
+    """
+    # TODO: see and understand the FIXME in read_chunked and
+    # see if we need to apply here?
+    content = ""
+    code = 400 if is_request else 502
+    line = fp.readline(128)
+    if line == "":
+        raise HttpErrorConnClosed(code, "Connection closed prematurely")
+    try:
+        length = int(line, 16)
+    except ValueError:
+        # TODO: see note in this part of read_chunked()
+        raise HttpError(code, "Invalid chunked encoding length: %s"%line)
+    if length > 0:
+        content += fp.read(length)
+    print "read content: '%s'" % content
+    line = fp.readline(5)
+    if line == '':
+        raise HttpErrorConnClosed(code, "Connection closed prematurely")
+    if line != '\r\n':
+        raise HttpError(code, "Malformed chunked body: '%s' (len=%d)" % (line, length))
+    if content == "":
+        content = None # normalize zero length to None, meaning end of chunked stream
+    return content # return this chunk
+
+def write_chunk(fp, content):
+    """
+        Write a chunk with chunked encoding format, returns True
+        if there should be more chunks or False if you passed
+        None, meaning this was the last chunk.
+    """
+    if content == None or content == "":
+        fp.write("0\r\n\r\n")
+        return False
+    fp.write("%x\r\n" % len(content))
+    fp.write(content)
+    fp.write("\r\n")
+    return True
+
 
 def get_header_tokens(headers, key):
     """
@@ -350,4 +393,22 @@ def read_http_body(rfile, headers, limit, is_request):
         not_done = rfile.read(1)
         if not_done:
             raise HttpError(400 if is_request else 509, "HTTP Body too large. Limit is %s," % limit)
-    return content
\ No newline at end of file
+    return content
+
+def expected_http_body_size(headers, is_request):
+    """
+        Returns length of body expected or -1 if not
+        known and we should just read until end of
+        stream.
+    """
+    if "content-length" in headers:
+        try:
+            l = int(headers["content-length"][0])
+            if l < 0:
+                raise ValueError()
+            return l
+        except ValueError:
+            raise HttpError(400 if is_request else 502, "Invalid content-length header: %s"%headers["content-length"])
+    elif is_request:
+        return 0
+    return -1
diff --git a/test/test_http.py b/test/test_http.py
index df351dc79..e1dffab85 100644
--- a/test/test_http.py
+++ b/test/test_http.py
@@ -38,6 +38,57 @@ def test_read_chunked():
     tutils.raises("too large", http.read_chunked, s, None, 2, True)
 
 
+def test_read_next_chunk():
+    s = cStringIO.StringIO(
+        "4\r\n" +
+        "mitm\r\n" +
+        "5\r\n" +
+        "proxy\r\n" +
+        "e\r\n" + 
+        " in\r\n\r\nchunks.\r\n" +
+        "0\r\n" +
+        "\r\n")
+    assert http.read_next_chunk(s, None, False) == "mitm"
+    assert http.read_next_chunk(s, None, False) == "proxy"
+    assert http.read_next_chunk(s, None, False) == " in\r\n\r\nchunks."
+    assert http.read_next_chunk(s, None, False) == None
+
+    s = cStringIO.StringIO("")
+    tutils.raises("closed prematurely", http.read_next_chunk, s, None, False)
+
+    s = cStringIO.StringIO("1\r\na\r\n0\r\n")
+    http.read_next_chunk(s, None, False)
+    tutils.raises("closed prematurely", http.read_next_chunk, s, None, False)
+
+    s = cStringIO.StringIO("1\r\nfoo")
+    tutils.raises("malformed chunked body", http.read_next_chunk, s, None, False)
+
+    s = cStringIO.StringIO("foo\r\nfoo")
+    tutils.raises(http.HttpError, http.read_next_chunk, s, None, False)
+
+def test_write_chunk():
+
+    expected = ("" +
+        "4\r\n" +
+        "mitm\r\n" +
+        "5\r\n" +
+        "proxy\r\n" +
+        "e\r\n" + 
+        " in\r\n\r\nchunks.\r\n" +
+        "0\r\n" +
+        "\r\n")
+
+    s = cStringIO.StringIO()
+    http.write_chunk(s, "mitm")
+    http.write_chunk(s, "proxy")
+    http.write_chunk(s, " in\r\n\r\nchunks.")
+    http.write_chunk(s, None)
+
+    print len(s.getvalue())
+    print len(expected)
+
+    assert s.getvalue() == expected
+
 def test_connection_close():
     h = odict.ODictCaseless()
     assert http.connection_close((1, 0), h)
@@ -111,6 +162,25 @@ def test_read_http_body():
     s = cStringIO.StringIO("5\r\naaaaa\r\n0\r\n\r\n")
     assert http.read_http_body(s, h, 100, False) == "aaaaa"
 
+def test_expected_http_body_size():
+    # gibber in the content-length field
+    h = odict.ODictCaseless()
+    h["content-length"] = ["foo"]
+    tutils.raises(http.HttpError, http.expected_http_body_size, h, False)
+    # negative number in the content-length field
+    h = odict.ODictCaseless()
+    h["content-length"] = ["-7"]
+    tutils.raises(http.HttpError, http.expected_http_body_size, h, False)
+    # explicit length
+    h = odict.ODictCaseless()
+    h["content-length"] = ["5"]
+    assert http.expected_http_body_size(h, False) == 5
+    # no length
+    h = odict.ODictCaseless()
+    assert http.expected_http_body_size(h, False) == -1
+    # no length request
+    h = odict.ODictCaseless()
+    assert http.expected_http_body_size(h, True) == 0
 
 def test_parse_http_protocol():
     assert http.parse_http_protocol("HTTP/1.1") == (1, 1)