on This WOVEMBER we have looked at how different breed wools should be celebrated for their individual characteristics and how these can really compliment the pattern of your choice. We are very pleased to have designer Karie Westermann discuss her personal relationship between yarn and the design aesthetic. As a knitter I am drawn to… Continue Reading The relationship between wool and design
on Sue Blacker joins WOVEMBER again for the conclusion of her 4-part series on designing yarns from a wool mill’s perspective; if you didn’t catch parts 1, 2 and 3, you can find them here, here, and here. There are some interesting points in this article about blending wool with other fibres such as silk and… Continue Reading Designing a Yarn, Part 4
on ‘A sock in a pot. In the outside loo at the bottom of my stairs, it’s now a potting shed.’ – Jeni Reid
on As well as here you can find Team WOVEMBER on Facebook and Twitter and on Ravelry. Louise looks at how the world of wool operates in social media and introduces us to some of her favourite Tweeters! Who can remember the times before social media? Although find it odd that things like cassette tapes and dial… Continue Reading The Daily Bleat
on ‘Yarn spun from a silver-grey shetland fleece that I bought from Shetland Organics in 2013. Three ply and worsted spun. One day it will be a jumper.’ – Jeni Reid This traceable woolen yarn and its prospective future are reminiscent of this label…
on Last week TEAM WOVEMBER featured sheep bells in Wovember Words. This prompted Louise to look into something touched on in Stella Sutherland’s poem (also last week) with the Shetland Ewe wearing her “hard triangle of sticks”. As a small child I was often surrounded by sheep on our croft on Bressay and was quite familiar with their… Continue Reading Wovember Words: branks, yokes, pokes or bjoags?
on Here at WOVEMBER we have already looked at some of the actions and words which have historically been associated with shepherding. Here we have another action associated with wool working, which has it’s own unique method and measure. The ends of a length of newly woven cloth are sewn together to make a circle, and… Continue Reading Wovember Words: Waulking
on One reason for posting here about yarn production, the origins of wool in the landscape and so on is that these articles help recall what wool is and why it is special. However they also reconnect the textiles that we use and wear in daily life to the daily lives of shepherds, shearers, spinners, mill… Continue Reading A story about turning into yourself and coming full circle
on ‘The Wool Shed, Jamieson and Smith Woolbrokers, Lerwick, Shetland. These are the hands of the managing director, Oliver Henry, or as he is more commonly known – The Wool Man. Oliver’s talks about sorting and grading fleece are one of the highlights of Shetland Wool Week.’ – Jeni Reid
on Yesterday Kate Graham talked about the successful sheep sponsorship scheme she ran this year. Having read the sponsorship thread on the Shankend Farming group on Ravelry and seen the sponsors excitedly chatting about their sheep and fleeces Louise asked for some of the fleece fosterers to talk to WOVEMBER about their experiences of the scheme.… Continue Reading Sponsors of Shankend Sheep