This Golden Fleece: A Journey Through Britain's Knitted History

About this book

Over the course of a year Esther Rutter - who grew up on a sheep farm in Suffolk and learned to spin weave and knit as a child - travels the length of the British Isles to tell the story of wools long history here. She unearths fascinating histories of communities whose lives were shaped by wool from the mill workers of the Border countries to the English market towns built on profits of the wool trade and the Highland communities cleared for sheep farming; and finds tradition and innovation intermingling in todays knitwear industries. Along the way she explores wools rich culture by knitting and crafting culturally significant garments from our history - among them gloves a scarf a baby blanket socks and a fishermans jumper - reminding us of the value of craft and our intimate relationship with wool. This Golden Fleece is at once a meditation on the craft and history of knitting and a fascinating exploration of wools influence on our landscape history and culture.