What comes over most clearly in Mr Armitage's version is the weft and warp of the story.

ECONOMIST: Homer

Historically, family farms a few hundred acres looked after by a man, his wife and their sons have been the weft and weave of the Midwest.

ECONOMIST: True grit | The

For us, it just continued to be weft and warp.

FORBES: How Tom Peters Taught Me To Knit

As they 'pass the warp' and 'split the weft', the weavers sing mnemonic ballads that remind them of the techniques they employ and enhance the cooperative, artistic atmosphere at the loom.

UNESCO: Culture