You may well have met members of the Knitting &Crochet Guild (KCG) at one of the many yarn and craft shows across the UK where
they patiently pass on their skills, but we wanted to tell you a bit more about
them, especially since we have recently become their first corporate sponsor.
The
main aims of the KCG are
· to
showcase their historic collection of
knitted and crocheted items, thousands of patterns, and artefacts,
· to help knitters and crocheters everywhere to learn more
about the traditions and techniques of their crafts so that they can develop
their skills,
Put
simply, they are a unique resource and a gateway to the heritage of knitting
and crochet, which is why we are so passionate about helping them.
We
have been lucky enough to visit their amazing collection, housed in a warehouse
in Yorkshire. The building itself may
not look like much but the racks of plain brown boxes hide a wealth of amazing
artefacts dating right back to 1826.
They have original first issues of Woman’s Weekly, acres of pattern leaflets,
a petticoat crocheted by Queen Mary, incredible examples of Bohus garments, outrageous
1960s crochet, super fine Irish lace crochet, and the biggest collection of
knitting needles and crochet hooks we have ever seen. A team of dedicated
volunteers help to catalogue and care for these historic examples of our craft.
The
items from the collection do go out on a trunk show but if you join the KCG,
then you can visit the collection in person, where the Guild’s expert
archivists will guide you through some of the highlights.
The
Knitting & Crochet Guild will be celebrating its 40th year in
2018 so there couldn’t be a better time to join. You can find details here.
