I had the doubtful pleasure of taking an exhibition to the Knitting & Stitching Show a few years ago. Although Alexandra Palace has great provenance, it’s a bit of an unloved shed these days. And, really, you could be anywhere once they fill it with stalls.
But the ladies who flock to Knitting & Stitching aren’t interested in the architecture. Talk about a textile bun-fight – it was a bit scary. Stall after stall of domestic craft, manic knitting displays and really horrible embroidery kits. Not to mention exhibitions of all sorts of things warp and weft. I’m all for ‘making’ but I like a bit of taste thrown in. Subjective thing though, taste, of course.
Anyway, amongst the neon wools and scary dolls, I found a nice little stall selling horrendously expensive balls of yarn. I like to think I appreciate an overpriced, nicely packaged something. In fact they see me coming. And so Habu Textiles got me to part with too many pence for this tiny ball of yarn. A New York shop, Habu obviously peddles to an urban craftsperson that should know better.
I have never found a better use for this than sitting it on a shelf. It has always reminded me a little of winter, like a tiny bush shivering under a frost. And when I scanned it, it came out rather grey and blurred around the edges. But in a nice way, like the sky just before it snows.
Leave a Reply