WOOLGATHERING

Thoughts Becoming Surface

The highly evocative term ‘woolgathering’ refers to the concrete act of collecting wool caught in fences, left by passing sheep, and is used figuratively to describe an intermediate – liminal – state of daydreaming, mind-wandering and indulging in one’s inner world.

In my work, I gathered left-over lengths of yarn from previous projects, which I then crocheted in an ongoing spiral while letting my mind drift. It was a way to reconnect with myself in a world gone mad, allowing new thoughts, ideas and emotions to emerge.

Crocheting and pondering happened simultaneously; the process of woolgathering happened both in a concrete and figurative sense. Ultimately, a feeling of oppressive negativity has been transformed into an aesthetically pleasing object that almost seems alive.

(Crocheted acrylic yarn, metallic gold thread, iron rod, crochet only: ⌀ 39 cm, full work: 195 x 100, 2026)

© 2026 Ruth Thomas. All rights reserved.