The Wonder of Wool @ Rheged

Some time late last year, I was on one of my many visits to the beautiful Lake District and once again visited Rheged at Penrith. Rheged is a wonderful place with shops, cafes, a 3D cinema and a gallery.  It regularly holds exhibitions and other exciting events, including vintage and craft fairs, and is well worth a visit.  On my visit I saw a poster for an exhibition, Wonder of Wool and the art of knit and stitch, and made a mental note to return to see it!

So, today was that day!  Teamed with an overnight stay in a country inn last night (and a few cheeky drinks), me and Mr Bunny ventured up the M6 to Rheged to visit this exhibition - and we were not disappointed.

The exhibition is located on the fourth floor in The Gallery and 'manned' by helpful, friendly and informative staff.  As well as paying the £2.50 entrance fee (well worth it in my opinion) I also purchased a small catalogue for £1.50 which contains information about the various exhibits and their artists.  This has been personally hand bound in Herdwick wool by Marion Woolcott (founder member of The Woolclip) and there are only 500 of them (I have number 81!)

The exhibition was wonderful and I really enjoyed wandering around, at my own leisurley pace, taking in all the pieces, reading my booklet and generally enjoying myself.  The pieces are varied and, like all art, some I liked more than others! There are exhibits to look at, some to listen to and a few interactive areas.  There is also a small shop selling handmade items, books, yarn and kits. 

Rather than discussing every single piece with you, I will share my best bits and Mr Bunny's best bits!

My Best Bits!
I found every piece interesting in it's own way.  I particularly liked the knitted BMW engine, a collaboration between the artist Amy Twigger Holroyd, BMW apprentices and pupils at Coleshill Primary School.  It was very detailed and made fromn some rather pretty sparkly wool!  There was also a piece that was made from pieces of knitting patchworked together which I really liked (although I can't remember the artist's name).  I am really inspired by this to make a knitted or crocheted patchwork item from all the left over bits of yarn I have!

Mr Bunny's Best Bits!
Now then, at this point it is important to tell you that Mr Bunny has very little interest in textile art.  He is supportive of my interest and often accompanies me to such events as this one with very little fuss (although I have to pay!)  He enjoyed the exhibition and really liked Freddie Robins' Knitted Homes of Crime, knitted houses of the homes of female criminals, Max Alexander's knitted animations and the Flock.  He has instructed me to download templates as he now wants to make some pom-pom sheep to contribute to the Flock (check out the project here) - I am sure there is a future blog post here!

If you, like me, are interested in textile art, be it knitting, crochet, felting and stitching, then a visit to WOW is a must.  The exhibition runs until the 15th April 2012 and, if you check out the website here, there are other events, including drop in workshops, running alongside it.