Back-to-back: the worldmaking of Icelandic wool from sheep to sweater

Researcher: Elizabeth (Liz) Scarfe is the primary investigator (PI) and is completing a PhD at the Australian National University (ANU) School of Archaeology and Anthropology. She is a psychotherapist in private practice.

Project Title: Back-to-Back: the worldmaking of Icelandic wool from sheep to sweater.

Project Outline: This project seeks to understand how wool shapes Icelandic culture. The main research method is participant observation, whereby the PI will spend time with people engaged in various forms of woolwork and discuss their experience of working with Icelandic wool. Interviews may also be used. The PI will also engage in the practice of woolwork alongside research participants.

Participants: Participants will be at least 40 Icelanders over 18 who work with wool in some way. Other participants may include textile industry professionals, artists, garment recipients/purchasers, textile museum curators, and Icelandic anthropologists and folklorists. Participation can be through informal conversations and semi-structured interviews.

Use of data and feedback: Participants can revise or clarify data. A list of pre-set questions will guide recorded interviews. Data will be collected, analysed and presented in a thesis, reported at conferences, shared in craft-based workshops, and published in academic journals and lay niche media. The thesis may be developed into a book. Participants can provide feedback on the research to the PI or to the PI’s supervisor listed in the Queries and Concerns section.

Project funding: Funds come from the Australian government via a Graduate Research Scholarship and fieldwork funds from the ANU’s School of Archaeology and Anthropology.

Participant involvement: You can be involved as much/little as you like. The PI will observe your workplace, do their own spinning/knitting alongside you if appropriate, and may engage you in discussions about wool, which you can opt into or out of at any time. If you participate in an interview, questions will be asked in a setting and time of your convenience.

Voluntary participation and withdrawal: Participation is entirely voluntary. You may, without negative consequences or explanation, choose not to participate or withdraw from the research prior to the submission of the dissertation or other research outputs that may precede the dissertation. You may refuse to answer any question, request to be excluded from any discussion, or request that any discussion not be included in research materials.

Recording methods: Only formal interviews will be audio recorded, and only with written consent. Recordings may be paused or stopped if the participant chooses, e.g., at the discussion of sensitive matters. Informal discussions will not be recorded, but the PI may take written notes that quote or paraphrase conversations. Photos will be taken and paintings made of woolwork spaces with permission.

Location and duration: August 2025–April 2027, comprising three visits of approximately four months each. Research locations include: sheep farms, scouring and fleece preparation facilities, mill facilities, fibre and garment retail outlets, community woolwork collectives, textile laboratories, textile museums, and textile-based tourism sites. Participants may opt to engage in research activities (e.g. formal interviews) in locations of their choosing. Interviews may take up to two hours and informal discussions may take as little or as much time as the participant chooses.

Risks: Participants are free to discuss any risks they are concerned about with the PI. Strategies for dealing with them can be discussed and implemented. Risks may include:
• Economic loss: Participants may be concerned that involvement may expose trade secrets or impact the reputation of the wool industry. It is not the aim of the research to uncover trade secrets or criticise the wool industry. There is no expectation to share trade secrets, and if you accidentally do, these can be deleted from the data.
• Reputational harm through identification: All efforts at confidentiality will be maintained and pseudonyms will be used unless you request otherwise. However, the small population size of Iceland and the small number of wool processing facilities increases the risk of identification. The PI will discuss these concerns with you and develop strategies for addressing unintended identification, such as excluding certain details from the research.
• Psychological: The research does not aim to explore sensitive topics but given the extent to which wool is embedded in Icelandic culture, it is possible some participants may experience sadness or discomfort. If this occurs, the PI will pause or cease any line of discussion on request or visible signs of discomfort. For more acute issues, the 24-hour helpline for individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, or suicidal thoughts, Hjálparsími Rauða Krossins, is available by calling 1717.

Benefits: The primary benefits of this research will be for the researcher and the anthropology and craft research communities. The PI will share findings with participants so they can understand more about the ways Icelandic wool shapes Icelandic culture. Participants may also build connections with other wool workers involved in the project, and these networks may lead to new collaborations and innovations in craft practice and the marketing of Icelandic wool. The research may also serve to validate and elevate the reputation of woolwork, but there is unlikely to be any direct economic benefit from the research for participants.

Confidentiality: All efforts will be made to maintain confidentiality to the extent possible under law. Research will refer to participants using pseudonyms unless you want your real name used in the research. To protect sensitive matters, only share information you would be comfortable being known publicly and refrain from sharing information that you deem private, sensitive, or that may be legally compromising. If you do share such information, you ask it be excluded from the research data. The PI is legally required to share some types of information with relevant authorities, such as information relating to the serious harm of others or yourself.

Privacy Notice: In collecting your personal information within this research, the ANU must comply with the Privacy Act 1988. The ANU Privacy Policy is available at https://policies.anu.edu.au/ppl/document/ANUP_010007. It contains information about how you can access or seek correction to your personal information, complain about a breach of an Australian Privacy Principle by the ANU, and how the ANU handles complaints. The collection of personal data of Icelanders is also regulated by the Icelandic Data Protection Authority / Persónu Vernd which has granted an exception from oversight to this project due to the low sensitivity of personal data collected. Complaints to the authority can be made here: https://island.is/en/complaint-to-the-data-protection-authority.

Data storage: Data will be gathered and handled only by the PI and stored on the encrypted ANU data storage platform, compliant with the EU’s GDPI requirements, and SOC and PIPEDA requirements. Data must be stored for at least five years from time of publication and may be used for future research projects. Where the five-year period has passed and no future research projects are expected, the data will be de-identified and retained for potential future use by the PI. If physical records are produced, these will be digitised and then destroyed. Audio recordings of interviews will also be destroyed, though deidentified transcripts will be kept.

Queries and Concerns: Please raise any questions with the PI during the project at elizabeth.scarfe’at’anu.edu.au. The PI’s supervisor is Associate Professor Yasmine Musharbash, and any concerns can also be raised with her at yasmine.musharbash’at’anu.edu.au. After the completion of the project, please contact Associate Professor Yasmine Musharbash for any queries or to forward queries on to the PI. If participation has caused you distress, please call the 24-hour helpline Hjálparsími Rauða Krossins on 1717.

Ethics Committee Clearance: The ethical aspects of this research have been approved by the ANU Human Research Ethics Committee (Protocol H/2025/0119). If you have any concerns or complaints about how this research has been conducted, please contact: Ethics Manager, ANU Human Research Ethics Committee, phone: +61 2 6125 3427, email: Human.Ethics.Officer’at’anu.edu.au