Knitting Pretty
Listed under: NewsTop Story
Published: Friday, November 03, 2006
The creative, stress-busting knitting craze is sweeping the nation, attracting some three million fans and knitwear is splashed across the high street, in magazines and sported by all the latest designers from Missoni to Stella McCartney. This huge revival in knitting was celebrated during National Knitting Week 2006, which ran from 14th -
21st October
21st October
Over 2,000 visitors flocked to the first Unravel knitting festival, held at South Hill Park, Bracknell. The day combined knitting, art, theatre, talks and live music and attracted exciting new knitted commissions, exhibitions, demonstrations, workshops, lectures and performances, including the Knit and Knot workshops by Shane Waltener, last seen at Tate Britain, a knitted cave ready for exploring, woolly prints by children from primary schools in the area, a knitting market and football cardigans by designer, Julie Henry. The life-size Knitted Garden, created by over 300 enthusiasts who volunteered to take part at ICHF Creative Stitches and Hobbycraft shows throughout the UK over the past year, was also on display at the event.
‘Extreme Knitter’, Rachel John set a new world record during National Knitting Week by hand knitting 1,000 strands of yarn on giant needles at the Unravel Knitting festival. This visual spectacle of 1000 coloured spools of yarn was, in itself, a work of art. Rachel normally creates thick, luxurious hand knitted carpets using around 100-200 strands of yarn simultaneously.
In an attempt to knit with the largest ever knitting needles, Julia Hopson and the Lands End Knitters made needles from tree trunks measuring three and a half metres high, by six and a half centimetres diameter and knitted ten stitches, ten rows and cast off. This has been sent to the Guinness Book of Records for verification.
The largest event in the South West was organised by KnitWits and Cornish Organic Wool, this was held in St Ives and had a large screen videolink to Alexandra Palace, allowing visitors at the Knitting and Stitching Show to witness the events in Cornwall. Speed knitting challenges were held between the Scots in John O’Groats and Cornish speed knitter, Frances Jago and those attending the Knitting and Stitching Show, Alexandra Palace - all joined via the live videolink. There were also book signings, lace making, weaving, embroidery, spinning and drop spindle demonstrations.
Dorret Conway held workshops and a textile art exhibition, Endangered Species, featuring artworks and objects by new and established textile artists at the PAD Contemporary Art Gallery, Preston. This exhibition was a celebration of hand knitting reclaiming its status as a significant and special part of social and community life.
The Yarnmonkey website featured a knitting game, Sock Wars, which encouraged 100s of people to attempt to knit a pair of socks and 784 crafters registered to take part. The aim of the ‘knitting game’ is to kill a target by knitting them a pair of socks and mailing it to them. Once each target receives a pair of socks they are dead and must immediately report their death on the “fallen comrades” section of the site. They must also immediately send on the details of their intended target, who becomes the next person to assassinate, along with their unfinished knitting.
‘Extreme Knitter’, Rachel John set a new world record during National Knitting Week by hand knitting 1,000 strands of yarn on giant needles at the Unravel Knitting festival. This visual spectacle of 1000 coloured spools of yarn was, in itself, a work of art. Rachel normally creates thick, luxurious hand knitted carpets using around 100-200 strands of yarn simultaneously.
In an attempt to knit with the largest ever knitting needles, Julia Hopson and the Lands End Knitters made needles from tree trunks measuring three and a half metres high, by six and a half centimetres diameter and knitted ten stitches, ten rows and cast off. This has been sent to the Guinness Book of Records for verification.
The largest event in the South West was organised by KnitWits and Cornish Organic Wool, this was held in St Ives and had a large screen videolink to Alexandra Palace, allowing visitors at the Knitting and Stitching Show to witness the events in Cornwall. Speed knitting challenges were held between the Scots in John O’Groats and Cornish speed knitter, Frances Jago and those attending the Knitting and Stitching Show, Alexandra Palace - all joined via the live videolink. There were also book signings, lace making, weaving, embroidery, spinning and drop spindle demonstrations.
Dorret Conway held workshops and a textile art exhibition, Endangered Species, featuring artworks and objects by new and established textile artists at the PAD Contemporary Art Gallery, Preston. This exhibition was a celebration of hand knitting reclaiming its status as a significant and special part of social and community life.
The Yarnmonkey website featured a knitting game, Sock Wars, which encouraged 100s of people to attempt to knit a pair of socks and 784 crafters registered to take part. The aim of the ‘knitting game’ is to kill a target by knitting them a pair of socks and mailing it to them. Once each target receives a pair of socks they are dead and must immediately report their death on the “fallen comrades” section of the site. They must also immediately send on the details of their intended target, who becomes the next person to assassinate, along with their unfinished knitting.
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