Sheep and Wool in Denmark, with Richard Regnery

Today on our EU tour of sheep and wool, we are quoting from Richard Regnery’s book, Ruminations of a Grumpy Shepherd. Richard and Gretchen Regnery have been raising a flock of white and coloured Corriedale sheep in Door County in northeast Wisconsin for over twenty years, and this book recounts some of their experiences along… Continue Reading Sheep and Wool in Denmark, with Richard Regnery

Q&A with Rare Breeds of Canada Shepherds: working at the (literal) grassroots to maintain rare breeds

Nancy MacMillan is an avid knitter with an interest in Rare Breeds and working with wool straight from the source. Pam Heath is a Shepherdess whom Nancy first met at the Ottawa Knitting Guild some years ago. Pam is a wonderful resource for all things Rare Breeds, and she and Elwood Quinn kindly agreed to do… Continue Reading Q&A with Rare Breeds of Canada Shepherds: working at the (literal) grassroots to maintain rare breeds

Be the change: an early intro to Wovember 2016

Dear Wovemberists Do not adjust your sets – it is not quite Wovember yet. As you will see there are a few changes going on around here; we are preparing for November. Jointly We hadn’t planned such an early wholesale jerseys China post, so do bear with us while we move the furniture around a… Continue Reading Be the change: an early intro to Wovember 2016

Wovember Words: One-erum, Two-erum, Cockerum

Today’s Wovember Word comes courtesy of Louise Spong of South Downs Yarn, about the counting words used by Sussex shepherds. The following extract comes from Shepherds of Sussex by Barclay Wills (originally published in 1938), who regales the following story: He [the farmer] told me that one job was ‘telling’ the sheep. The sheep were allowed… Continue Reading Wovember Words: One-erum, Two-erum, Cockerum

Between Producers and Consumers of WOOL…

Today we wanted to try something out here on the WOVEMBER blog and share a conversation between a Producer of Yarn (Jane Dryden of Home Farm Wensleydales) and a Consumer of Yarn (me, Felix, TEAM WOVEMBER MEMBER and WOOLFAN). Jane sent me some of her different hand knitting yarns and I swatched with them, noting… Continue Reading Between Producers and Consumers of WOOL…

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

Rachel Atkinson on Working with Wool

This evening on the cusp of Working with Wool and Wearing Wool, we hear from Rachel Atkinson whom many of you may know through her blog, My Life in Knitwear. Today she writes about the role that sheep have played in her life and her plans to spin fleece from her father’s flock into a… Continue Reading Rachel Atkinson on Working with Wool

Wovember Words: Pyecombe Hook

As an amuse-bouche for tonight’s post with Louise Spong from South Downs Yarn, we hear from her about a very special shepherd’s crook. With Louise’s natural curiosity, it was not enough to just know about the hook. She actually made one herself! So, here’s Louise, on the Pyecombe Hook: Ah, therein lies a tale or… Continue Reading Wovember Words: Pyecombe Hook

Wovember Words: Tups and Tupping

This evening we shall be meeting some lambs. However in order to have lambs, you must have rams or tups as they are often known… Here are Jane Cooper’s characterful Boreray boys in a post by Jane which gives meaning and context to the terms ‘tup’ and ‘tupping’. Introducing, from left to right, Bollocks, Bede… Continue Reading Wovember Words: Tups and Tupping

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