County Champion

Jenn Monahan promotes rare-breed Norfolk Horn wool through her hand-dyeing business, the Fibreworkshop

- Jenn Monahan

KNITTER, SPINNER, hand-dyer, designer and entrepreneur Jenn Monahan runs the Fibreworkshop, a dyeing studio in mid-Norfolk. Here, she works with locally sourced Norfolk Horn wool and homegrown plant dyes to create beautiful hand-knitting yarns. Jenn also creates knitted items for film and TV productions, and her work can be seen in movies including Little Women and Darkest Hour. We chatted with Jenn about her mission to share her love of Norfolk Horn wool.

How did you come to set up your business?

“I started the Fibreworkshop in 2016. Prior to this I was an academic, researching climate change mitigation. I've always been knitter, but I had a go at spinning during a year in New Zealand - it was one of those life-changing moments.

"When we came back home to Norfolk I began to explore the diversity and history of sheep in the UK. I looked to source rare-breed fleece to spin direct from smallholders and farmers local to me. Talking to these knowledgeable and passionate people gave me an awareness of the issues they face. It's typical for small farmers to pay more to shear their sheep than the low value they get from selling their fleece through the British Wool Board. You hear so many stories of burning and composting of wool, or simply leaving it to rot. Yet wool is our indigenous sustainable fibre.

"This made me so angry. In 2016, I decided to produce a sustainable yarn with provenance that would showcase my local indigenous rare breed, the Norfolk Horn."

What is your company ethos?

"Sustainability is the heart of the business; it's why I do what I do. From the energy used (100% renewable), the processes I use (natural plant-based and non-toxic), the packaging (minimal, no plastic, bio-degradable), and the people I work with, I strive for sustainability in every aspect of my business."