Next month at this year’s Knitting and Stitching Show from the 11th until the 15th of October, Selvedge founder Polly Leonard will be exploring the life of wool in a talk about rare breeds of sheep, the history of wool and how contemporary designers and makers are using the world's original ‘techno textile’ to its fullest potential.
The world has been using wool for millennia. It is ingrained into our social history and affects every aspect of our lives. Look around any UK city and you will find municipal buildings built on the profits of the wool trade. In many ways, the connection we have with wool may run deeper than we will ever know.
Selvedge has long been fascinated by the natural properties of wool and how the character of different breeds contribute to impressive and sometimes unimagined uses. In the centre of a baseball, for instance, you’ll find 350 meters of wool wrapped tightly around a cork centre to help with shock absorbance and bounce due to wool's unrivalled resilience.
Visitors to this year’s Knitting and Stitching Show can receive £2.50 off tickets with the code SVG17, and from 3D crochet to surface embroidery, patchwork and quilting, the show will have plenty of beautifully crafted textiles on offer. With workshops, demonstrations, galleries, and 300 exhibitors too, it will be a weekend well spent for any textile lover. There, you can also pay Selvedge a visit at stand number RCF1.
We Love Wool: a talk with Polly Leonard, 1.15pm, 13 October 2017
Palm Court Room 5, Alexandra Palace Way, Wood Green, London N22 7AY
The Knitting and Stitching Show, 11 - 15 October 2017
www.theknittingandstitchingshow.com
Image courtesy of Ian Lawson & Beatrice Waanders