Wool lovers celebrate across UK & further with LoveWool

08 Oct '11

3 min read

The UK's biggest celebration of wool – LoveWool UK (LWUK) - which was held between 5th and 11th September as part of the Campaign for Wool's Wool Week promotions, attracted over 650 activities held by wool enthusiasts across the country.

Those that took the time to register their event on the CfW website could access a number of free patterns provided by Rowan Yarns and Jamieson & Smith. There was also the opportunity to receive one of 100 free felting packs provided by the British Wool Marketing Board (BWMB) and a pom-pom sheep template kit developed by the Cumbrian based Eden Arts as part of the FLOCK project.

The LWUK following was made up of a broad school – some came from the individual who may have simply knitted or felted, others were informal gatherings of friends and like-minded soul, in the name of wool and also the more structured group, hosting events in libraries, galleries, museums or schools. There were public space events too; LWUK knew no boundaries as people took it in to their own hands to celebrate.

The fact that there was no parameters whatsoever, certainly appealed to people, according to Bridgette Kelly of the BWMB, who created the event for the Campaign for Wool, “We wanted to give wool its wings in the second year of the CfW because we saw that it was a little London centric in year one and obviously the craft and artisan sector are such brilliant enthusiasts and ambassadors for the fibre, so we wanted to bring them on board the CfW. A free style event seemed most appropriate and provided that semblance of unity without any confines or geographical limitations.”

“We only launched it on-line three weeks in advance of Wool Week and so we feel that the number of people signing up was brilliant. Even on paper, it was clear there was a buzz about it and the diverse creativity that was going to happen with wool during that week was quite wonderful.”

There were also over forty events organised by Rowan at John Lewis stores and the House of Fabric and there was a full LWUK day in Leeds at the Corn Exchange. (LoveWool Leeds);

The event attracted interest right across the UK and also from further afield – LWUK activity was also happening in the USA, Sweden, Spain and the Falkland Islands possibly as a result of the International Wool Week programme.

“I think we can truly say that we gave wool its wings this year but it clearly shows the strength of feeling out there for real wool and this event has simply harnessed that energy. We hope to make LWUK even better next year.”

British Wool Marketing Board

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