As I was driving into work today, I heard a really interesting documentary about a Leonardo da Vinci painting, owned by the Duke of Buccleuch, called the Madonna of the Yarnwinder. If you are interested in the documentary as a whole you can find it on BBC Sounds, but the thing that caught my interest, of course, was the fact that such an everyday item could figure in such an obviously religious painting. According to the documentary, it was the first time someone had done a Madonna and Child painting with a narrative – in this case the child is reaching for the yarn winder (which looks like a cross) while his mother looks anxiously on. (I have not added an image to this blog as I am concerned about copyright, but you can find it on Google). We would call the yarnwinder a niddy noddy, and it is a key part of the spinning process, being used to wind newly spun yarn into skeins. According to Wikipedia, the original painting was meant to have a basket of yarn in it as well, but the artist seems to have decided against it in the end. I am constantly surprised and delighted by depictions of what was once such a vital craft, and part of everyday life, but which has now been relegated to the status of hobby, and worse than that, a woman’s hobby as if it has no value at all. I am currently grinding my teeth a little about the attention Tom Daley is getting. Although I love that he has raised the profile of knitting I suspect that if a female athlete was knitting at the Olympics no one would notice. Furthermore, he is knitting in acrylic and is being sponsored by a US yarn company. When I think how he could be promoting British wool, and British brands. I despair.
Anyway, I digress from my planned blog which was to talk about what is on in August in the shop. On the face of it, August should be one of the worst months for a yarn business, what with hotter weather and people going on holiday and carnivals in other towns. Not so here. Apart from a steady trickle of lovely holiday makers who are just browsing, or who may be looking for a holiday project or souvenir who keep us amused, we have quite a lot on in the way of learning opportunities. First of all, we are offering our usual beginners Crochet Course which we are delighted to say is fully booked. Our last crochet course of the year will start on 26 October. We also have a Beginners Sock Knitting course which starts on 24 August. We always start people off on Double Pointed Needles (DPNs), but you could come and learn how to knit socks using the Magic Loop technique on 17 and 24th August if you prefer using circular needles. We still have places on the Kids Crochet course that starts on 16 August, and please note that if your kids would prefer to knit rather than crochet, we are quite flexible. All of our courses will be taught by Mandy, with her “endless patience” (according to recent feedback from one of our courses). If you have something special you want to learn, such as a particular technique, and we are not offering an appropriate course, please feel free to contact us to see if we can organise a one-to-one for you.
On Saturday 10 August we are gathering to cast on our new Knitalong – The Salty Days Sweater by Veronika Lindberg. It is a really interesting pattern which should provide a good challenge and we hope you will be able to join us.
At the moment, the eco-artist Candide Turner Bridger has a brilliant show on in The Gallery Upstairs. Her work is amazing, based on her connection with the earth and is really worth seeing. In addition, she is offering a range of workshops:
Tuesday 6 August: Visible Mending
Thursday 8 August: Suminigashi (Japanese paper marbling)
Saturday 10th August: Earth Paint making
Tuesday 13 August: Sheep painting using earth pigments
If you are interested in any of these email Candide at jeremyt.b@outlook.com for details of times and costs, or pop into the shop as she will be there everyday we are open.
This is the last exhibition that the Gallery Upstairs will be hosting. As of mid-August we have a picture framing business taking over the first floor, but Shane, the owner, will also be operating the space as an art gallery, it just won’t be my responsibility any more. I am very excited to have him coming in and will give more details when it is all firmed up.
Our regular Social Stitchers groups are meeting on:
Tuesday 6 August 11am to 1pm
Tuesday 13 August 2 – 4pm
Saturday 17 August 2 – 4pm
Tuesday 27 August 7 – 9pm
As always stitchers of all skills and abilities are most welcome.
So, as you see, a busy month to look forward to. I hope you will join us at some stage.