It’s all about wool! The entire November/December 2011 issue of PieceWork is devoted to wool. Here are a few highlights: By the 5th century, Egyptian artisans were crafting wool socks, using a looping technique that is a precursor to knitting; we’ve included instructions for re-creating a pair of these socks. Vikings introduced wool to Iceland when they arrived with their sheep in the 9th and 10th centuries. Icelanders became famous for their color patterning in their knitting; try your hand at this with our Icelandic beret project. Long established as a medium for clothing and household textiles, wool yarn became, a favorite with embroiderers in the mid-nineteenth century as the hand-colored patterns on grids produced originally in Berlin and worked with fine Merino Saxon wool reached worldwide circulation; use the chart and instructions to stitch a sweet Berlin wool needle book. The survival of four endangered sheep breeds is the subject of “On the Edge: How a Handful of People Have Preserved Some Rare, Valuable Sheep and Their Wools.” Two, the Manx Loaghtan and the Leicester Longwool, have British roots; the Navajo-Churro and the American Tunis arose in the New World. Three knitting projects (mittens, a hat, and socks) and one crochet project (a pillow) serve as an introduction to using each of the four wools.

Wool is my favorite fiber. If it’s not yours already, I hope that our Wool issue will bring you into the fold!