The Knitted House
What do you get when you combine the imagination, skills and memories of older folk into a community art project? The Knitted House, a life-size creation of a 1950s home, including such wonders as a knitted Bakelite radio, knitted record sleeves and a luscious crocheted chocolate cake.
Project co-ordinator, Robyn Carney, has seen the project grow to include the community beyond the original nursing home residents: It really has had a wonderful effect as it develops self esteem, a long term sense of purpose and friendships across age groups, across communities and between regions.
And it’s funny, in the nicest, most quirky-charming way. More information here and here. If you’re in Australia, the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Sunday Arts program will investigate knitted art in a mid-August episode. More information here.
Part of it was recently on display in Sydney in conjunction with the annual 702 Knit-in for charity, another remarkable demonstration of what the work of many craft-skilled individuals can achieve – tens of thousands of squares becoming over 3600 wraps for Wrap With Love.
August 9th, 2006 at 1:59 pm
That’s pretty cool! reminds me of the Stereogram music video for Walkie Talkie Man in which nearly all the inanimate objects are knitted.
Link to the Google video here:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8053424782305632520
August 9th, 2006 at 1:59 pm
That exhibition is so cute. I have some more pictures posted on my blog, from when the exhibition was in Hobart earlier in the year.
http://littlesnoring.blogspot.com/2006/05/knitted-room.html
They are so talented!
August 9th, 2006 at 7:59 pm
Wow… where are you digging up these posts? This one did the rounds about 2 years ago. That Red Cross sock kit? It was “just released” about 4 years ago. Excuse me, I have to blow the dust off my browser now.
August 9th, 2006 at 8:56 pm
And the ABC is using images from the exhibition in one of their station promos – the Crafters are TAKING OVER THE WORLD, hooray!
August 9th, 2006 at 9:57 pm
Heya BurlyQ, I got the Red cross link a few weeks ago from a reader.. I`m giving this week over to reader submissions, so if you havfe something you want to share here, please submit!
It`s all news to me ;)
August 10th, 2006 at 1:11 am
wow…this is awesome!
August 10th, 2006 at 3:47 am
this is quite impressive.. love the choc cake!!
August 10th, 2006 at 8:34 am
Hi BurlyQ, The Knitted House is an ongoing project, so for those who’ve never seen it before, it’s fresh as a daisy. For those like yourself who may have been aware of it some time ago, perhaps you may enjoy new additions that have been made since its initial exhibition in 2004 – there’s a front and back yard now, and I’m looking forward to seeing the three ducks being knitted for the wall. If you’ve got suggestions for whipup posts, by all means send them!
August 12th, 2006 at 4:07 pm
Hey all! One more Sydney knitter here.
The Knit-In was truly amazing, there were over 1,000 knitters present.
Here are my pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gadgetgirl70/sets/72157594215868237/
-gg