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craft

Knit for Peas

It has been a while since my last confession on this blog. It’s Wool Week and I’m recovering from a long weekend at the Knitting & Stitching Show, Knitting for Peace at the House of Commons, (very cool) and negotiating one of our patterns to go on the Guardian website. Later this week we’re off to the Rowan awards at Libertys, so it’s all go.

On the Knit for Peace stand at the K&S Show we were telling anyone who would listen about the kits that we send out. Each box contains yarn, needles and patterns, all donated by you, the public. These are a lifeline to women who may be stuck in a refugee holding centre with nothing to do, and means that they can knit for their families and keep themselves busy.

When I had my lunch break I hot-footed it around some of the other stalls and stumbled into Max’s World. She was selling necklaces with my name on, so one had to be purchased. I also adored her Knitting Octopus. If you are very keen you can buy the pattern (or just buy the card, that’s what I did).

Post K&S we ran on to the House of Commons for a Good Gifts reception where we talked even more about Knit for Peace. We laughed about knitting peas for peace with Susie Johns, the pea designer, and Marie Wallin from Rowan (above) who has donated a lovely crochet cowl pattern to the cause. You can read all about it and see the patterns at www.knitforpeace.org.uk

Irish Lizards

I’ve been busy researching a new artcle about Irish crochet lace for Rowan and was excited to be invited along to the photo shoot. Having spent a month or so pouring over ancient library books it was astonishing to see the detail of work for real. This is one of the books that I was permitted to look at in the V&A reading library. (The ‘snake’ at the base of the photo is the weight that holds the pages open without damaging the binding.)
The pictures don’t prepare you for the sheer awesomeness of the real thing. Here is the model at the shoot wearing a wedding dress. She can’t sit down for fear of damaging the dress, so the make-up artist has to improvise! These precious garments are on loan from the Knitting & Crochet Guild’s archive collection at Lee Mills, near Holmfirth, Yorkshire.
This is Marie Wallin, Head Designer at Rowan, putting the finishing touches to this exquisite ‘Lizard’ Jacket. You can see why is it called the “Lizard” by the close-up. This is a pattern from Album de Guipure d’Irlande by Madame Hardouin (1905). Also on this jacket are delicate baubles stitched along the netting at the sleeves and on the bodice.

These crocheted baubles look so contemporary, but the thread that they have been worked in is as fine as sewing cotton. I’m not sure that I even have a hook that small…

Adventures at Collect

This is the work of Valeria Nacimento shown by Contemporary Ceramics at Collect 2013.
The paper-like porcelain is made from slabs and rolled into shapes, much like pasta. The whiteness looks great in the white cube space that is the Saatchi Gallery. (Good to see the folks at CPA again, though we worked out it was 13 years since I worked for Ceramic Review.)
See more of her work on her website or more about Contemporary Ceramics at the CPA blog.

Powerful Women

So it’s official, the most powerful woman in the UK is the Queen: well according to the Women’s Hour panel anyway. In fact 3 out of the top 5 women had inherited their position rather than working their way up the ladder. Chaired by Eve Pollard, the panel had the tricky task of deciding what constitutes ‘power’: money, control or influence. Oona King pointed out that Britain may talk a lot about multiculturalism but is still a monoculture at heart. Heather Rabbatts said that rather than quotas, what we need is to support people by putting in ‘floors not ceilings’. Her mum was her best champion telling her that she would ‘always need her own knicker money’. Good advice.

There were no knitters on the list. I was saddened and surprised to have my knitting confiscated and sealed in a plastic bag. For the 2 hours that we were sat in the audience I could have done a lot of rows. Perhaps they think knitting is powerful after all?

Thiès Tapestries

There is a lot of weaving in Africa but not all of it is quite as organised as the government started Manufactures Sénégalaises des Arts Décoratifs (MSAD). Set up in the 1960s by President Senghor, it is now host to many famous artists who have their work made up into tapestries by the skilled workers here.

The MSAD specialise in tufted rugs that command high prices on an international market and hang in prestigious places like the UN HQ in New York.

Léopold Sédar Senghor – poet, politician and cultural theorist – was Mayor of the small town on Thiès (pronounced ‘chess‘) before becoming first president of Senegal. He was educated in France and the techniques used at Thiès owe more to the Gobelin traditions of Paris and Aubusson rather than local weaving. They also make flat woven tapestries that have great graphic impact.

I wasn’t allowed to photograph any of the finished items, but have tried to document the process. Top is my favourite image. These are the colour keys, one for each tapestry, that makes a ready-reckoner for the weaver following the artist’s cartoon.

You can see right, and below that the weaver uses a beater to push down the knots. This is a specially made wooden tool a bit like an afro comb.

The specially built MSAD gallery

The Crafter

Words from the craft world