One of 15 weavers who made the Interwoven textile is Katherine Cowtan, based near Glasgow. Her article about the experience features in the Spring Issue 297 of The Journal, published by the national Association of Guilds of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers (AGWSD). Katherine details the challenge in meeting the design specification using only natural and locally-sourced materials, and how her weaving reflects her personal relationship with climate and ecological crises:
“Genuine British woollen spun singles weaving yarns were surprisingly difficult to source, as most UK fleeces are bought by the Wool Marketing Board and shipped to China for processing, or they are spun (both worsted and woollen), often for knitting yarns [and] most yarns commercially spun in the UK, even some with British sounding names (like ‘Shetland’) are spun using fleeces imported from New Zealand, because the supply of suitable fleeces from current home-grown flocks only fulfils a fraction of the demand.”
Here’s the whole article if you want to dive in for a longer read.
And if you’d like to support the AGWSD, you can buy the single issue where this article features, for only £8 in their online shop. Thank you!
I’ll be giving a talk on 12th September 2026 for the London Guild of Weavers Spinners and Dyers, about the Interwoven textile project and Walk for Earth. If you’d like to book a talk in your area, contact us here.
Recent Comments