Category: General Yarnings and Wanderings

Starting a new Starter and other early year activities

January 23, 2023

Hello there! I just wanted to pop in before this years blog content continues apace to say Happy New Year. I hope everyone got through the end of the year in good spirits and the new year has started well. I never know quite where the first weeks of the year go and this year is no different. We were in the UK for Christmas and France for New Year, with family in both places. … More Starting a new Starter and other early year activities

A Wovember wool spotlight: La Fierucola, Florence, and the sheep of Italy

November 17, 2022

While it is still Wovember, I want to spend a little time sharing some new to me local sheep and to introduce you to the wonderful wool they produce. The history of Italy and of wool are tightly intertwined and extend across a network of European wool trading that pre-dates the formation of the state of Italy in the 19th century. By the 13th century Florence was already an important wool centre and this is … More A Wovember wool spotlight: La Fierucola, Florence, and the sheep of Italy

Fashion Revolution Week: Money Fashion Power #WhoMadeMyClothes

April 18, 2022

Today marks the start of Fashion Revolution Week 2022. While the title may not be so familiar, hopefully the hastag #WhoMadeMy Clothes will resonate, and perhaps also, #WhatsInMyCothes and #LovedClothesLast. Today I want to say a ‘few’ words about each and I’ll direct you to some fabulous resources which explore these issues in depth but also with precision and concision. The theme for this year’s Fashion Revolution is week ; MONEY FASHION POWER a triptych … More Fashion Revolution Week: Money Fashion Power #WhoMadeMyClothes

No More Water, The Fire this Time

June 12, 2020

There has been considerable debate in recent weeks about what the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd tell us about how people of colour daily experience the world we live in, and they disproportionately prematurely die in. Their deaths have caused us yet again to question the deep inequities and structural racism that exist in our societies. We are questioning how it gets to ‘hide in plain sight’ in the landscape and built environment … More No More Water, The Fire this Time

The Sunny Side of Working with Linen… mainly

November 1, 2019

One of challenges about moving to a country that has reliably hot summers is knowing what to knit in the summer months, or in fact whether you can knit at all. As we move into what here in the northern hemisphere is being referred to as ‘sweater weather’ and ‘sweater season’, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on my first summer of knitting here in Italy. In truth I feel like I’ve only … More The Sunny Side of Working with Linen… mainly