5th European Wool Day
I Casali del Pino, Rome, Italy
6th April 2025 / 10am to 5pm CEST
It’s an event dedicated to celebrating the versatile and sustainable benefits of wool, a natural fibre with a rich heritage and an important role in our future with a particular focus on its therapeutic and health-related uses in this year’s edition. We will demonstrate the diverse applications of wool throughout Europe, building on the similarities and showcasing the innovative solutions that may be used elsewhere and the way it can be utilised in the health sector.
Come to Rome for this extraordinary event taking place at I Casali del Pino, Ilaria Venturi Fendi’s organic farm just on the outskirts of Rome to celebrate wool, with special focus on its use for mental health and well-being. Entry is free of charge, but please let us know that you’re coming by writing to: segreteria@gomitolorosa.org.
We’ll not only have presentations, but demonstrations and hands-on workshops held by wool lovers all over Europe, sharing their experiences and best practices suitable for children and adults including wool washing, dyeing, spinning, felting, crochet, weaving and painting with wool.
Hybrid Event
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live at I CASALI DEL PINO + workshops
Via Giacomo Andreassi, 30, Rome, Italy
Click to download full program
On April 6, 2025, the 5th European Wool Day will be broadcasted online, but there will also be local events, so you are welcome to attend in person and take advantage of the workshops, exhibits, talks, and debates that are happening in Rome, Italy.
Workshops will be running from 10am to 4:30pm, including wool washing, dyeing, spinning, felting, crocheting and weaving.
The focus this year will be on Wool for Health.
The focus theme, Wool4Health will highlight wool’s natural properties that support mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing, and will explore therapeutic knitting and the use of wool in health and wellness practices, a timely and relevant subject given the growing interest in personal well-being, sustainable living and the interconnectedness between natural materials and humans.
We will celebrating the versatile and remarkable health benefits of wool, a natural fibre with a rich heritage and an important role in our future with a particular focus on its therapeutic and health-related uses in this year’s edition. We will demonstrate the diverse applications of wool throughout Europe, building on the similarities and showcasing the innovative solutions that may be used elsewhere and the way it can be utilised in the health sector. The event will bring together wool processors, industry professionals, knitters, designers, therapists, health experts, and the public to share knowledge, showcase products, raise awareness about the health benefits of wool and foster a deeper understanding of how wool can be utilized for health and well-being.
Through collaboration, education and by fostering a deeper understanding of the connection between wool stakeholders, this event aims to inspire more conscious choices that enhance well-being and promote a healthier environment. From the soothing properties of woollen garments to the meditative effects of knitting, European Wool Day will serve as both an educational and celebratory occasion for all things wool.
A brief overview of what you can expect if you decide the join us for this unique opportunity of learning about European wool, the efforts being made to enhance its value, the health benefits of fibre crafting with wool, its use in education and ways to preserve and spread fibre craftsing with wool in the 21st century.
As part of the Welcome Notes at 10am by the hosts of EWE Foundation, GomitoloRosa and I Casali del Pino, Ilaria Venturi Fendi will introduce I Casali del Pino, her organic farm and tell us about her flock of sheep.
In the Italian Section, we will learn about The Fratelli Piacenza Woollen Mill by Vasiliy Piacenza, introducing the processing of wool in the Biella region and the history of the company, the raw wool selection process, the relationship between the animal's quality of life and the quality of its fibre, and how it is key to producing luxury fabrics. We will also hear about traceability and sustainability in practice at Piacenza Woollen Mill.
We will discover the challenges of wool washing in Italy by the Mayor of Gandino.
We will learn the research outcomes of Wool Fibre-Reinforced Bio-composites for Agriculture and Packaging Applications. By using hydralised raw wool fibres and mixing it with refined softwood kraft pulp bio-composite paper sheets can be obtained. These bio-composite paper sheets can be used in packaging application or as mulching films in agriculture.
We will hear how Woolshed: A New Era for Alpine Wool project tackles the under-usage of raw wool by promoting innovation and cooperation. The project focuses on affordable, open-source, and user-friendly technologies to help small-scale wool processors and other businesses engage in the wool industry. The aim is to transform this nowadays wasted material into a valuable resource and increase knowledge around the cultural dimensions and environmental dynamics of rustic sheep and their wool.
We will discover how sheep wool is transformed into 100% natural organic pellet fertilisers by Agrivello.
From 11am in the Wool4Health Section first GomitoloRosa will introduce its achievements in the field of therapeutic knitting with wool: its daily activities in the oncology units. Followed by the research conducted to serve as a scientific evidence-base of the effect of crochet on the mind.
We will witness how the therapeutic knitting have been implemented at a hospital for oncology in Hungary based on GomitoloRosa’s practise.
We will meet Dr Mia Hobbs, a clinical psychologist who uses knitting as part of her therapeutic work with children and adolescents with mental health difficulties.
We will hear an emotional experience of the power of wool in the life of Sharon Wells helping her to overcome her trauma by starting to make felt landscapes with wool from Irish sheep farms.
Marija Bašić from Croatia will share her story of how knitting became her tool in the fight against cancer, and how the search for local wool led her to go out, communicate, spend time in nature... She is a big fan of domestic wool and supports every initiative expanding its use.
Next Gabriele Brandhuber from Austria will demonstrated the Secret Power of Knitting, sharing her very own experience of the healing and soothing effects of knitting while undergoing chemotherapy. She thinks if more healthcare professionals and institutions were aware of the healing powers of knitting, maybe they would offer knitting circles or knitting courses in cancer stations, thereby supporting the recovery of patients. Her journey with wool has also lead to the TextilePortal and AutWool.
Building on her personal story from last year, Athina Baroufi will present Wool, a Way of Life. This time, she will highlight the role art therapy can play in helping individuals of all ages recover from mental health issues after a life-threatening illness. For those who understand the fear that comes with a serious disease and are seeking a method to go forward, she will share her knowledge, abilities, and experiences in art therapy.
John Connell, an Irish author and farmer will talk about the health benefits he experienced while farming his 12 sheep on his family’s organic sheep farm in the Irish midlands. Following the sheep over a lambing season he helped cure a burnout that he had experienced and learned 12 life lessons along the way.
Knitting for Newborn Sierra Leonean babies is presented by Milla 91. Milla 91 has built a maternity centre where women can give birth, and now, thanks to the free knitted clothes provided by IAIA Association more women are choosing to go there to deliver their babies. This is a good practice to encourage women to knit for others and to encourage women in Sierra Leone to give birth at a maternity ward rather than at home.
At 12:45 the Wool in Education section will start with an enthusiast guest teacher from Nigeria, Elizabeth Okeyele presenting Sustainable Practices: Put Wool in the Hands of Young Learners sharing the joy that young Nigerian knitters have felt while working with wool.
The Wool Processing in (Waldorf) Schools will showcase the program of demonstrating the journey of wool - from lamb to finished yarn in educational settings.
The "Wool Makes Sense!" - Teaching Social Skills through Fibre projects had Irish wool at the core and were aimed to allow teenagers to understand traditional skills in a contemporary context. It also helped students value the therapeutic effect of fibre and handcraft skills for themselves and in a social context. They reflected on the importance of making informed decisions about their consumption habits and recognized themselves as agents of change for the future.
The presentation on The Role of Weaving Education in Institutional Settings and the Development of Effective Academic Programs for Students will explore the development of effective academic programs for students. It discusses the evolution of traditional textile programs into universities, integrating them with modern academic standards while respecting heritage and innovation.
Elizabeth Seward, PhD, as a Guest speaker from the USA: presents Healing through Handwork; Woollen Threads exploring ways in which handwork has been of benefit historically and is used in contemporary settings to heal and calm in a meditative and contemplative way while stating that this is more true of wool than of any other fibre.
In the Wool in Europe section starting at 2pm first we will get an overview of some interesting Data and Facts about Wool and sheep in Europe and worldwide.
Andrew Carpenter from Belfast Mini Mills, a company from Canada, will demonstrate how mini mills helps promote sustainability and better framing/breeding practices. They will be sharing in their presentation of The Future of Fibre: Sustainability, Local Markets, and the Next Generation their experience of the growth in demand for more local, non-commercial products and the growth in younger consumers.
WOOLBAU – Raw Wool for Reinforcement by Folke Köbberling will demonstrate the role coarse wool can play in composite materials for architecture and the experiments gained in the different ways of using it in construction as detailed in her book.
The Fabric of (Human) Life by Saidhbhín Gibson, a visual artist from Ireland, will tell us about her recent video appreciating sheep, the wool they produce and regard for the farmer/shepherd,
Wool and Cheese – The Treasures of Pag by Ana Žunić, Volim Vlašići and Martina Pernar Skunca, Association of Paski sir Cheese Producers, Croatia will present the tradition of cheese making connected with the sheep breeding and wool projects implemented on the Island of Pag. On the Island of Pag there are 35000 sheep that give milk to the most famous Croatian cheese. Through these projects they are addressing the major ecological issue of wool on the island of Pag, which is either burned or thrown away after shearing, by beginning to collect and send wool in a systematic manner for processing in order to support sustainable development. Visitiors to the event will have a chance of tasting the Croatian cheese.
Circular Economy for the Recovery and Revaluation of Sheep Wool in Teruel, Spain project aims to transform the challenges associated with wool into a sustainable opportunity. Beyond mitigating the environmental impact of its underutilization, they seek to generate economic benefits for shepherds, to preserve and revitalize the tradition of shepherding and to create new opportunities for development, well-being, and growth in local communities.
Starting from 3pm in the Updates from previous presentations section we will hear previous European Wool Day presenters on the development of their projects.
First Cristian Mercioniu from Eco PartnerSheep will tell us how his massive project of processing of 25,000 tonnes of wool annually in Romania, meaning processing 100 tonnes of wool per day, is proceeding.
Sandra King from Irish Fibre Crafters in her Wool Contributes to Wellbeing presentation will introduce social enterprises from the wool sector in Ireland, These organizations apply strategies to maximize improvements in social and environmental well-being.
All Colors of Montenegro is an update on the research of Sheep Wool Dyed with Natural Dyes for Health going on at the University of Zagreb Faculty of Textile Technology in Croatia by Martina Glogar, Ana Sutlović, Iva Brlek and Ivana Čorak, Also detailing their collaborative work with Jelena Đukanović and Sofija Đukanović, from the Montenegrin Wool Institute Niksic where the educational program using wool, Loop by Loop, Stitch by Stitch for involving the young generation is ongoing and Woolen Warmers for Health and Beauty showcases the woolly products made in Montenegro.
The Summer School: Local Wool Processing for Wellness and Creative Regeneration by Livia Sordini, Eva Basile, Sara Freschi and Flaminia Bisceglia, from the Italian Coordinamento Tessitori will summarise how their summer school has expanded and will connect online to the winter school taking place at the same time.
Panagiota Koutsoukou from the Greek EcoMuseum Zagori presents Empowering Local Communities through Creative Wool Workshops and Exhibitions Inspired by Local Biodiversity.
Jasminka Gršković from Croatia previously presenting her felting work and best practices with pre-school children now will talk about the effort she is making to achieve a zero waste island turning discarded wool to viable products of Blue Sheep Handmade.
Sustainable Fashion: Denim + Wool is this year’s project involving wool by Anita Stefanovska, Zivka Tanuseva Icanoska and Ema Kuka at the Secondary Vocational School Taki Daskalo in North Macedonia.
Berta Paz-Lourido from the University of the Balearic Islands, Spain presents Rethinking the Education and Practice of Physiotherapy towards Planetary Health through the Use of Wool at the Innovation Unit in Sustainable Development, Health and Global Justice through Service-learning.
At 4:15pm in the Wool in Fibre Crafts section at start two Slovenian Institution (Institute for Agriculture and Forestry Nova Gorica and the Handicraft Section of Sheep and Goat Breeders Association of Idrija and Cerkno) will introduce crafters working with wool in local areas.
The Spanish Ecoagrotours from Fundación Ecoagroturismo will show the Wool Route: Weaving Experiences that can be booked as an active weaving holiday in the rural Spain.
Two Greek Weaving Class of Saint Athanasios and Association of Mainites Andros will tell us the way they handmade a Woven Cardigan by Eirini Vekri and Evi Pantazi,
To finish off we will talk summarise the European Wool4Health Awards 2024 organised by EWE Foundation, including the video on Rural Women, Nature and Therapy.
European Wool Day
Is an event dedicated to celebrating the versatile and sustainable benefits of wool, a natural fibre with a rich heritage and an important role in our future with a particular focus on its therapeutic and health-related uses.
We build on the success of last years. If you missed the previous four European Wool Days,
please visit our website and YouTube Channel and you’ll find all the presentations there.
Objectives
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Make the public more aware of the natural, sustainable, and renewable qualities of wool, and its positive impact on the environment;
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Inform about the issues surrounding the European sheep wool;
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Promote the growing trend of knitting as a form of mental wellness, focusing on its stress-relieving and mindfulness benefits;
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Highlight the diverse applications of wool in healthcare, from its use in garments for skin conditions like eczema, to its role in enhancing sleep quality and promoting relaxation.
Event format
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Presentations:
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live presentations in person
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live presentations online
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pre-recorded materials
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Workshops
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Exhibition and Product Showcase
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Live Demos and Q&A
Host organisation
GomitoloRosa is our engaging host this year with a deep passion for wool, expert in therapeutic knitting and social solidarity projects.
GomitoloRosa with a focus on sustainability by recovering Italian wool, using it to enhance personal well-being by utilising the therapeutic benefits of knitting brings a knowledgeable presence, effortlessly combining expertise with enthusiasm.
For further information please visit www.gomitolorosa.org and use a translator tool from Italian into your language.
Target Audience
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General public;
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Wool Producers and processors: Farmers, shepherds, and manufacturers from across Europe who produce, process, and innovate with wool;
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Health Professionals: Doctors, therapists, and researchers exploring the therapeutic uses of wool in healthcare;
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Consumers: Individuals interested in sustainable living, wellness, and health-conscious products;
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Retailers and Designers: Those who incorporate wool into fashion, home goods, and health products.
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Environmental Advocates: People who promote sustainability and are keen on learning more about natural fibers as a solution to environmental challenges.
Applications
are closed.
We invite wool producers, health professionals, sustainability advocates to apply for sharing your woollen story contributing to our health and the health of the planet at the 5th European Wool Day.
There are three ways to participate:
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Presenting live in person on 6th April from Rome, Italy;
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Presenting live joining on-line on 6th April;
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Contributing with a pre-recorded presentation.
We encourage you to contribute in order to cover the cost of organizing the day (suggested amount €20 for associations and €50 for companies).
WRITE US
TO GET IN CONTACT
Applications can be submitted:
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through the online application form (closed);
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by emailing the filled out application form to woolday@ewe.network.
Concept notes
You can read more of the Concept Note
of the European Wool Day 2025 here.
Please be advised that there will be a selection process in early February 2025 and you will be informed whether your presentation is shortlisted in due course.
Deadline for pre-recorded contributions from the selected applicants is 10th March 2025.
Header photo by Annie Spratt