Unravel 2018
by Niamh McCooeyGuest post by Sophie Nash-Jones
Unravel, the annual UK festival of knitting and crochet, bursting with craft and fabric festivities returns this February celebrating their 10th anniversary in Surrey. The weekend-long festival is brought to Farnham again by the craft organisation Farnham Maltings, featuring over 70 exhibitors, talks, demonstrations and a rich mix of workshops covering contemporary textile crafts.
You can expect a talk from Alison Ellen surrounding the traditional knitting techniques in Britain, Europe and Scandanavia, where Ellen discusses their influence on the methods of construction, colour and pattern in designing today. Aoibhe Ni also reflects on inspiration and where to find it, stating ‘creativity is that one intangible thing everyone at Unravel 2018 will inescapably have in common’. This interactive talk will allow you to understand the crochet shawl designer’s own creative epiphanies.
Kate Talbot will be exhibiting a wide selection of her work in wool and stitch. Tackling a range of diverse themes through her work, Talbot creates work that is both powerful and thought provoking. If it's a workshop you're after, why not take part in continental knitting with Juju Vail? This class is designed specifically for knitters who wish to learn the art of knit by throwing or picking the yarn with their left-hand.
Unravel are also bringing their unique Flower Shop project to this year’s festival where visitors and crafters are asked to donate knit, felt and crochet flowers for the display in support of the charity About A Place To Be. Visitors can then purchase a ticket to be entered into the lucky draw with a chance of winning one of the creations. With such a vast array of delights over the weekend long festival it is sure to be a busy day for festival-goers. If you want to find out more about what's going on or would like to book tickets, you can visit the website here.
Unravel, 16 - 18 February 2018
Bridge Square, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7QR