Wool lamp shades at Heal's this autumn. YARN the film to launch soon.

We usually associate wool with fashion and accessories, throws and blankets and even rugs.  But what about lamp shades.

Pendant lamp shade in dip-dyed wool made by Jane Withers for Heal's.

Just launched at UK's supremo home retailer Heal's this autumn is a new collection of woolly knitted lighting hand-made by Jane Withers.

Janie Knitted Textiles was established in 2005 by Janie Withers and her partner Michael Hanmer.

The brand ethos is centred around the use of natural fibres such as merino wool, linen and cotton sourced from UK suppliers.

Trained at Nottingham Trent University in knitwear design before working in design studios for knitted textile companies, Jane has concentrated on making and developing knitted fabrics and products since 2000.


Janie Knitted Lighting focuses on using natural British merino wool from the UK, which has been dip dyed.  Now available exclusive to Heal's are geometric lamp shades in Indigo or Cerulean Blue.

Documentary film YARN to launch soon.

While still on the subject, one should note that a new theatrical documentary film called YARN is launching across the UK in a few weeks' time, from October 7th ahead of UK Wool Week.

By Compass Films in co-production with 2M Film Studio, YARN was directed by Una Lorenzen (Iceland) and Co-Directed and Produced by Heather Millard (UK) and Thordur Jonsson (Iceland).  

The film described as a poetic documentary will be released across 40 UK cinemas from 7th October 2016 ahead of UK Wool Week.

Officially selected for SXSW and Goteborg Film Festival 2016, YARN follows four international artists who are redefining the tradition of knit and crochet, bringing yarn out of the house and into the world. Reinventing our relationship with this colourful tradition, YARN weaves together wool graffiti artists, circus performers, and structural designers into a visually-striking look at the women who are making a creative stance while building one of modern art's hottest trends.

The film introduces us to the unique stories of characters from four different countries that use yarn in very different ways. Their view of the world is reflected through their passion with yarn as they travel around the world spreading their work. The characters all have one thing in common - they all work by hand and their work is in one way or another interacting with the environment; as part of architecture, the streets, nature and people. 

The film has been met in the US and Canada with critical acclaim, with the New York Times referring to it as: “You have almost certainly never seen a better documentary on yarn than ‘YARN’… thread and string should be jealous” and The Hollywood Reporter calling it “A fanciful art doc for the craft-y among us.”

Co-Director and Producer Heather Millard said: “We began production for YARN back in 2013 and since then we’ve filmed across 11 different countries (including the UK), worked with a crew from the UK, Iceland, Canada, Poland and Sweden and are now in the midst of our US theatrical release with further releases planned for Sweden, Canada, Australia, Greenland, Slovakia, Netherlands and Greece.”

For more information on YARN, to watch a trailer and to find out where it’s showing in cinemas, click HERE.