Many makers might think of giant knitting merely as a trend in the textiles industry today; something that once exploded on sites like Etsy and Instagram a few years ago and that’s fallen out of fashion since. At times there may be a sliver of truth to this, but clear away all of those oversized candy-coloured blankets and broomsticks-cum-knitting-needles and there are those makers who are pursuing big knitting in beautifully nuanced and delicately crafted ways.
One excellent example of this is an astute Australia-based knitting company called Wic and Folk. Using natural rope and fibers of wool and cottons, the artisan duo behind this company knit and weave baskets, cushions, ottomans, throws and scarves, and are forever mindful of tactility, durability, and function.
Established back in 2010 by British artisans Vanessa Bostock and Jamesie James, the name Wic and Folk was formed of each maker’s place of origin; Warwickshire and Suffolk. Friends for over 25 years, they studied together exploring ceramics and photography before finding their mutual love of big knitting. It wasn’t until after they had travelled the world together that they settled down on the Victorian Coast of Australia, and started making.
Vanessa and Jamesie are keen to push the concept of big knitting past any remaining new-fangled associations it has in the popular psyche, and run workshops to inspire other makers to do the same. Wic and Folk hand-make all of their timber tools, produce felted wool kilos and supply their own rope fibers for each of their homeware creations. If this is any indication of what big knitting can do, we’re excited to see what’s in store for the future.
www.wicandfolk.com.au
