Monday, July 14, 2008

Wild Wool

Last week I visited Allenheads Contemporary Arts in Northumberland UK. I had a wonderful time courtesy of Helen Ratcliffe and Alan Smith whose live/work residency spaces support artists to make rigorous work in the context of the Allenheads village and the Northumberland fells and dales.

On my evening walk I spotted sheep wool caught on the stubbly grass being spun in the wind. I gathered the wool and finished spinning it by hand before knitting a little sample of wild wool knit. The natural lanolin moisturised my hands, and the finished sample only took a few minutes.