“We can’t stop here, this is baaa country.” Like so many of my jokes, this one is way over my children’s heads, and I assume Tessa wasn’t paying attention either. It’s a lonely place, the inside of one’s own head.

We’re on the open road, headed to Middelburg, the one in the Karoo. It’s beautiful out here. Stunning. It’s also rather… empty. So what are we doing out here? We’re en route to the Karoo Winter Wool Festival. KWWF is a celebration of all things wool and mohair. And given that Mungo has recently launched the Momo mohair throw, we want to see what this festival is all about.

This year, we have a stand at the festival too. Amy and Shelby drove a truckload of Mungo here a day earlier and set everything up. Tessa, the kids and I, are here to support, experience and enjoy.

Surrounded by the monochrome beauty and vastness of the Karoo, we find ourselves immersed in a small colourful world. There’s yarn of every shade. Wool garments of every shape, size and style. And it turns out, people from every corner of South Africa. We drove a long way to be here, and I had mistakenly assumed the event would be visited mostly by locals.

I have this habit of making conversation with strangers. I know. I apologise. I meet a lady from Pretoria who makes the pilgrimage with her family every year. She’s getting deep-fried doughnuts for her brood and I’m getting chips and dips for mine. A man from Paarl and I share a laugh about the morning chill. It is indeed cold in the Karoo. He holds two fingers a fraction apart. “This cold.” Good thing we’re surrounded by wool. A couple from Parys, on the Vaal not the Seine. People from Cape Town, Mpumalanga, and a local farmer too.

I spend most of the day just wandering around with my girls. We watch a sheep-shearing demonstration. The shearer is incredibly skilled. The once fluffy sheep looks like me after a trip to my Egyptian barber and has the same slightly embarrassed countenance about it. If only there was a word for that. The kids are treated to a crafting tutorial and storytime reading by an honest-to-goodness Tannie.

I stick my head into the auditorium tent. There’s a panel on stage discussing software used to track sheep health. I withdraw hastily. I’ve herd enough. After watching an impressive display by a farmer and his three sheepdogs, I have to explain exactly why we can’t have a Border Collie at home. Kitt knit-picks my reasoning. There’s no pulling the wool over her eyes.

Under almost every tree is someone having a knit. I have more hobbies than any one person should have, but I’m still tempted to sign up for one of the many workshops and learn to darn my own socks.

Later, my kids watch a performance of “Daisy die Melker”, which is a show about a dairy farmer and her cow. I make the mistake of mentioning the infamous serial killer Daisy de Melker and spend the next two days fielding questions from my eldest about why the 1930s nurse would fleece her husbands like that. I spin yarns to distract.

After a wool full day we make our exit. The girls are exhausted and fall asleep in the car, snuggling under Mos wraps. The drive back to Robert Sobukwe is beautiful. The afternoon light bathes the landscape in gold. It’s not empty out here. It’s full of wonderful people. Farmers, makers, shearers, knitters and weavers. People who care deeply about what they do. We felt right at home.

Wool World ~ The Karoo Kraal

About Wool World: Karoo Kraal

As part of the 2026 Karoo Winter Wool Festival, Wool World: Karoo Kraal brought together South African artists, designers and makers working with wool, mohair and other natural fibres. Curated by Lezanne Viviers, Nisha van der Hoven and Justus van der Hoven, the exhibition was set within four timber yurts, designed by Sean Pritchard of Yurt Life, and arranged around a traditional Karoo kraal. Exhibitors included Ronel Jordaan, OKHA, Weylandts, Viviers Studio, Mash.T., Woven Across Borders, and many others.

Among the works on display was the ongoing collaboration between James Mudge and MUNGO, combining James Mudge’s furniture with our woven textiles in a collection exploring contemporary South African design through natural materials and craftsmanship.

ARTISTS: Aards by Anelle la Grange, Alexia James, Ananta Design Studio, Anika Lötter, Anneke Bosch – FynBosch Design, Arum Alpacas, Bezonder, Cape Cobra Leathercrafts, Chantel Zalaiskalns, Crystal Birch, Design Academy of Fashion, Elizabeth Galloway Academy of Fashion Design, FABRICNATION, FIELDS, FRANCES v.h Mohair, Hanneke Bentz, Hannelie Bekker | Wrapt Knitwear, Heino Schmitt Design, Helderstroom Alpaca, Imán Adams, InileImvula, Jordan Bareiss, Julia Swanepoel Pepler represented by Berman Contemporary All Women Art, Kabous Hanslam, Karlien van Rooyen & Papsakk, Karoo Baba, Kassa Studio, Katja Abbott, Kiewiet Handweaving, Leah Johnson, Leila Walter, Lerwick Wool Atelier, Lily Esterhuizen, Lindy Kriek @ KIEKIE KUNS, Little Girl X The Genie X Sisterbozza, Louise Kluyts, Loxton Wool & Felting Co-op, Luminous Ware, Major John, Marlotte & Nina, Mash T, Megan Rumpelt, Michael Cheesman, Miró van der Vloed, MKRDR, MUNGO, Ndumiso Dhlamini x Ronel Jordaan, Nicolette von Wiese, Nina Kruger, NUUN, OKHA, Palesa Motheo, PATTERN Lab, Paul Kristofer, Polo South Africa, ROF, Ronel Jordaan, Rosemary Alkemade & Avani Eybers, Roz Schibl Harber, Sada Sabbagha, Sibabalwe Ndlwana, Soupchef, SUNDAY CHILD, Tali Lehr-Sacks, The Shearing Shed, The Storer, Tosca Lazard, Viviers Studio, Weylandts, Woven Across Borders – Mbali Dhlamini and Bubu Ogisi, Yolandi Schreuder.