Be inspired at Wonderwool Wales!
I have been looking forward to Wonderwool Wales for several weeks. So has Mr BK, although what he actually means is he’s looking forward to walking in the hills near the Royal Welsh Show Ground. Finally, the much anticipated weekend arrives, the alarm goes at 5 am and we’re on the road by 6 am.
Mr BK had his map and route planned out, and so had I. I downloaded the floor plan from the Wonderwool Wales website. My plan was to visit the exhibitions, see a Sheepwalk (which I missed last year), visit some exhibitors to buy yarn and others to squidge their yarn (aka, learn about their range), and generally have a good woolly time.
In this post, I’m going to tell you about a fantastical installation and the Sheepwalk.
A magical knitted installation
Walk past the hardy fisherman sitting at the entrance. Isn’t that lobster a beauty?
Enter the magical undersea kingdom. Take some time to absorb it all.
As you leave, you’ll glimpse a mermaid with a beautiful tail.
Walk along the side and pause to take it all in. Seaside creatures, seaweed and shells. Cliffs, sand and pebbles. A lighthouse, a Punch and Judy theatre, and sunbathers. All knitted or crocheted. There’s something to delight everyone here!
Above and Below the Waves is Ann and Alison Murray’s most ambitious project so far. Around 2000 people, of all ages, knitted or crocheted individual pieces. These were assembled by a dedicated group of Devon knitters under the guidance of Alison and Ann. It took nearly 2 years to complete the knitting and crocheting and over 5 months to sew it all together.
The visit to Wonderwool is part of the Above and Below the Waves tour around the UK; so far £15000 has been raised for the RNLI. Very appropriate, as the project was inspired by the Devon coastline.
A catwalk with a difference
The Wonderwool Sheepwalk gives exhibitors a chance to show off their wearable products in a fashion show. There was a variety of knitting crochet, felted and woven items and even several felted creatures as well as a real dog! However, my best photos are all of the knitted accessories. Sadly, taking good photos of moving people at a distance is beyond me and my camera, so I’m showing you some of my better ones. They’re a little blurry, but you can still appreciate the design and technical skills involved.
Firstly, here’s a beautiful Shetland shawl and tam from The Shetland Sheep Society.
Here are two stunning Shetland lace shawls (I didn’t catch the name of the exhibitor).
Here’s John from the Wool Zone winning the prize for wearing the most hand knit garments and accessories. He was having far too much fun on the Sheepwalk; he even bought his own music for his turn!
Here are some of Wonderwool’s stewards in their crocheted hi-vis jackets. What a great idea!
And finally, all the models preparing for a group photo.
Coming next …
This could be a far longer post as Wonderwool Wales was so good. However, I’m going to stop now and write about the fabulous yarn next time.
