Remember Remember The Month Of November

Image courtesy of Wovember

Welcome to the month of Wovember! Back in 2011 Dr Kate Davies and Felicity Ford decided to rename November to turn it into a month of celebration of wool's unique winter garment properties using stories and pictures online. They were fed up of the fashion industry describing cheap knitwear made with man-made materials  as wool. An acrylic jumper produced in a factory couldn't be further removed from a hand-made sweater knitted with actual wool from a sheep.

As the Wovember organisers say: "Wool is grown over time, through the husbandry, patience and wisdom of farmers and shepherds. Land, diet and a knowledge of different breeds play an important role in the quality and texture of real wool... by allowing the word wool to be applied indiscriminately to anything soft, the specific skills, crafts and labour associated with wool and its production become devalued."

Each year the Wovember campaign, along with its ethos to encourage us all to wear real wool garments in this chilly month and remember the animals and people who raise, produce and process wool, grows in strength. This year Louise Scollay has joined Felicity Ford to run 2017's Wovember theme: Where Wool Meets Wellness.

In a blog post Scollay revealed that throughout the month the Wovember website will be posting articles on the wellness theme. Alison and Rachel from Yarn In The City are running an Instagram photo challenge/competition and there'll also be a Wovember wool-along (WAL) on Ravelry and social media where participants show what they are making for the love of wool.

Every day in November the Wovember website will publish a personal story from a reader on what the concept of 'where wellness meets wool' means to them. Plus photographer Jeni Reid, who the organisers say has an eye for woolly detail, will provide a daily wool-inspired photo.

Go to Wovember.com to join in the woolly fun!