SOIL YOUR SCARF: Knitting and Participatory Science
- Ireland, TYPE, Workshop
Future Food Forests is an initiative in Westport, Co. Mayo that promotes a thriving wellbeing economy, nourished by local, healthy and sustainable food systems. As part of this initiative, a local community group are creating their own food forest.
Soil Your Scarf Workshop
On Monday 9th December learners in Westport took part in a participatory workshop entitled ‘Soil Your Scarf’ organised by Jess Leonard. The workshop included knitting a small scarf with local, untreated wool whilst learning about the importance of soil health to the ecosystem. This ties into the food forest since soil health is crucial to its success. Learners remarked on their own growing journey in their gardens and veg patches whilst knitting.
Jess describing the elements of soil
In the second portion of the workshop, participants were asked to draw the outline of their body, and inside depict their favourite space in nature. This included gardens, parks and woodlands. They were then asked to apply the learning from the first part of the workshop into ideas of how best they could protect this part of nature that they valued.
Participant drawing
Feedback from the workshops was overwhelmingly positive with comments such as “interesting, made me think about how to improve my veg patch”, and the desire to do more, when asked what other kinds of workshops they wanted to take part in, one participant asked “How to learn more, to help wildlife, learn how to do things different so I’m helping our world be a better place to live.”
“learn how to do things different so I’m helping our world be a better place to live”
Participants taking part in the knitting portion of the workshop
More Info
For more information about the soil your scarf project visit www.soilyourscarf.ie
