SCAEP & SCEAP, WOLLE & WULL – some woolly words from the Netherlands

Today on our Wovember Words EU tour of sheep and wool, we are in the Netherlands. To celebrate this, we are republishing a post from Tom of Holland – inventor of Wovember Words – written in 2011, and exploring Dutch knitting terms for sheep and wool. In this EU Wovember Words series, we are rarely… Continue Reading SCAEP & SCEAP, WOLLE & WULL – some woolly words from the Netherlands

Wool in the Czech Republic

For today’s stop on the EU sheep breed tour, we’re in the Czech Republic. We found some of our links for this piece via the cesky a slovensky Ravelry group, and others through extensive use of Google translate services, through which we learned that the Czech word for wool is vlna, and the Czech word… Continue Reading Wool in the Czech Republic

Tarndwarncoort: birthplace of the Polwarth

We are sure you will agree that today’s posts have given a lot of food for thought.  We have one final bonus post tonight from natural dyer and knitter Julia Billings, AKA Woollenflower. This summer Jules was back in her homeland of Australia to teach natural dyeing workshops at Tarndwarncoort, Western Victoria. This is where the Polwarth… Continue Reading Tarndwarncoort: birthplace of the Polwarth

Wovember Words: KnitLocal

Today’s WOVEMBER WORDS post was written by one of our long term WOVEMBER supporters, Nadine Haarich, who writes about her own discovery of local wool. Nadine lives in Germany and was inspired to explore her local breeds for knitting her Shetland Wool Week Baa-ble hat. She has extended this adventure by swatching wool from breeds… Continue Reading Wovember Words: KnitLocal

Wovember Words: Cloak, Suba, Kepe…

Today’s WOVEMBER WORDS explores different regional cloaks traditionally made from 100% WOOL to protect Shepherds from the elements. Wearing Wool has historically been very important for Growing Wool! Suba This suba is a traditional garment of Hungarian shepherds. The suba is awe-inspiring with its use of sheepskin in the body of the garment as well… Continue Reading Wovember Words: Cloak, Suba, Kepe…

Wovember Words: "Yows"

You may already have heard farmers in the North of England speaking about yows or in Shetland, speaking about yowes. I have found it spelled with an e and without, but in both those contexts it is a regional dialect word meaning ewe. When in Shetland recently for Wool Week, the Shetland Library in Lerwick… Continue Reading Wovember Words: "Yows"

Wovember Words: Government of Cattel

For today’s WOVEMBER WORDS we examine a 1596 document by Leonard Mascal, as it is introduced by Barclay Wills in his own fantastic tome, ‘Shepherds of Sussex’. Words from both ‘Government of Cattel’ and ‘Shepherds of Sussex’ indicate the unchanging aspects and long history of much of the work involved in Growing Wool and it… Continue Reading Wovember Words: Government of Cattel

Wovember Words: Lookers and Lookers huts

For today’s WOVEMBER WORDS we explore an alternative regional term for ‘shepherd’ from the Romney Marshes on the Southern coast of England. During the Medieval period, Romney Marsh was one of the most densely populated parts of Kent; by the middle of the 17th Century, it had become the least populous part. The port of… Continue Reading Wovember Words: Lookers and Lookers huts

Wovember Words: WOOL and electricity

Sheep and WOOL really do get into everything and, if you have purchased a copy of the KNITSONIK Stranded Colourwork Sourcebook you will already know that “everything” even includes a 1930s book about electricity entitled “The Wonders of Electricity”. Published in the 1930s, this book provides fascinating glimpses into the domestic interior of the 1930s… Continue Reading Wovember Words: WOOL and electricity

Wovember Words: sounds and lost sounds

As WOVEMBERSISTS know, I am passionate about how sounds can be used to connect us to the landscapes, people and animals that are ultimately the source of WOOL. I was therefore thrilled to discover that Cathy Lane – composer, artist and one of my PhD examiners – has also been exploring these connections. Cathy Lane… Continue Reading Wovember Words: sounds and lost sounds