‘A close up of one of the Valais Blacknose sheep from Tommintoul. That’s my hand with the watch giving the sheep a scratch. They are an incredibly friendly breed.’ – Jeni Reid
Valais Blacknose sheep
on Author: Felicity Ford
on Friday night vi-EWE-ing: Bert & Ernie's blanket
on This evening’s Friday night vi-EWE-ing is a recommendation from Wovemberist Joanne Seiff which she has dubbed “wool for the younger set”. This brilliant bit of vi-EWE-ing fun is a wondrous sketch from Sesame Street in which a chorus of sheep serenade Bert about the origins and provenance of his marvelous blanket. Thanks so much for… Continue Reading Friday night vi-EWE-ing: Bert & Ernie's blanket
Unst Lace
on ‘The island of Unst is famous for lace knitting. I was lucky to meet some of the knitters last year during Shetland Wool Week.’ – Jeni Reid
Broadening Horizons
on Another bonus piece from our guest contributor, Sara Dunham. This post contains links to pages on Ravelry so you need to be logged in to click them! Broadening Horizons I. love. winter. Anything to do with winter. Snow? Bring it on. While I definitely understand the issues with large flocks and deep snow, my small… Continue Reading Broadening Horizons
Tuppence
on ‘Tuppence, one of a small flock of Soay sheep based near Perth and owned by Joanne Romanis and Peter Mossey. Sheep with tremendous character and a sharp front hoof.’ – Jeni Reid
Wovember Words: Huff
on Fellow TEAM WOVEMBER member Louise Scollay has insisted that for one of the posts I share the words to the Shetland Wool Week Song. I wrote this song for Shetland Wool Week 2013, and it is an unapologetic celebration of beautiful Shetland Wool. In one of the verses I talk about “huffing the wool fumes”;… Continue Reading Wovember Words: Huff
It all circles back to the sheep…
on Another bonus post here from Sara Dunham, this time focusing on the wondrous journey that real WOOL makes in its journey from sheep to textiles. It all circles back to the sheep I was set up in the livestock area at the 2013 Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival. The shearers were running ongoing demonstrations across… Continue Reading It all circles back to the sheep…
Hand carded rolags
on ‘A basket filled with hand carded rolags never fails to make me smile.’ – Jeni Reid
Wovember Words: Alnagers
on I was reading about the history of woollen blanket manufacture in Witney, Oxfordshire, when I came across a curious term: “alnagers”. Further reading revealed that ‘Alnage, or aulnage (from Fr. aune, ell) is the official supervision of the shape and quality of manufactured woollen cloth’ and that alnagers were the official practitioners of Alnage. They… Continue Reading Wovember Words: Alnagers
Lamb camp
on Sara Dunham – the shepherd from whom we heard earlier in the month – has sent us some beautiful pieces about her sheep. These will sometimes appear between now and the end of WOVEMBER as lovely snippets designed to give you a sheepy boost to beat the afternoon slump! Thanks Sara for these wonderful words… Continue Reading Lamb camp