We have had a few enquiries about the date and venue of the next Knitting History Forum Conference & AGM, our tenth annual conference since regrouping in 2006. At the last KHF AGM, members agreed on Saturday 18th November 2017 at the London College of Fashion. Please put the date in your diary!
Knitting History Forum AGM & Conference 2016
Knitting History Forum is pleased to announce that Dr Roslyn Chapman will be speaking at the Knitting History Conference on Saturday 19th November 2016, at the London College of Fashion. Her presentation, Cultural Sensitivities: Debunking the myths of Shetland lace, uses case studies to illustrate how traditional narratives of knitting history can be altered in retelling, and that even “detailed provenance cannot always be accepted as fact.”
The final programme of speakers and sessions for the Knitting History Conference , is now confirmed as:
- 2.00-2.45 Gieneke Arnolli – Curator of Textiles & Fashion, Fries Museum, The Netherlands
Typically Frisian lace knitting, between fact and fiction and Curating the Knitting exhibition ‘Breien!’ - 2.45-3.25 Hanna Bäckström – PhD Candidate in Textile Studies, Uppsala University, Sweden
The publication of knitting and crochet patterns in Northern Europe 1790-1870 and Brief remarks on recent knitting history research in Sweden - 3.35-4.00 Michelle Hanks – PhD Candidate London College of Fashion
The Hand-Knitted Gift: using knitting as a research tool - 4.05-4.35 Roslyn Chapman – PhD, University of Glasgow
Cultural Sensitivities: Debunking the myths of Shetland lace - 4.05-4.35 Discussion: Reflections on knitting in the media – how would we represent the history of knitting?
With Joyce Meader, Jane Malcolm-Davies and Sandy Black, following their contributions to a documentary, The Secret History of Knitting. All contributions are welcome – please follow the link to watch the documentary online before this session [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJiN9GNrDpA]. - 4.45-5.00 General discussion and close.
Further details are available on this downloadable Knitting History Forum AGM & Conference programme: Knitting History Forum Conference 2016 Final Programme. A downloadable agenda is also available for KHF members attending the AGM in the morning: Knitting History Forum AGM 2016 Agenda.
We welcome non-members and new members! Tickets cost £35 to non-members and can be booked in advance or on the door. If you have not joined KHF as a member, you can use the PayPal button below to buy your ticket. See payment methods page for alternative ways to pay.
Textile Society Annual Conference 2016
The Textile Society have sent us notice of their annual conference next month : ‘Textile Futures: Technology, Materials and Preservation’. Saturday 5th November, Wellcome Trust, 215 Euston Road, London.
This conference will examine recent advances in textile design, materials and technology, considering emerging ideas and approaches that may change the way we design, make, use and preserve textiles in the future.
Our keynote speaker is Janis Jefferies, Professor of Visual Arts and Research at Goldsmiths, University of London. Janis will be speaking on her research that examines the relationship between culture and technology, including wearable devices as ‘intelligent textiles’. Dr Kate Lloyd from the industry organisation ‘Textile Intelligence’, will be speaking on thermochromics and advances in textile print technology, and Dr Celina Jones from the University of Manchester, will be discussing her research on textile printing and sustainability, looking at low impact techniques, reducing the use of colorants, and new ways of distressing denim. We will also be joined by Anne French, Textile Conservator and Collections Care Manager at the Whitworth Art Gallery, speaking on the challenges of conserving increasingly complex textile materials for the future, and Professor Carole Collet from Central Saint Martins, speaking about her work with the design & living systems lab, biotextiles and the advantages of biological tools for a more sustainable textile future.
We hope you can join us at the Wellcome Trust for a day of thought provoking presentations and discussion on ‘Textile Futures, Technology, Materials and Preservation’. The conference begins at 11.15am and finishes at 5.15pm. Lunch and refreshments are included. Booking is via Eventbrite.
Euston is the closest train/underground station to the Wellcome Trust. Just walk from Euston to the main road, cross over and the Wellcome Trust building is on the right hand side.
If you have any queries please email Sonja Andrew at: s.andrew@manchester.ac.uk
Knitting History Conference 2016
Join us for the Knitting History Forum 2016 Conference and AGM on Saturday 19th November, at the London College of Fashion, 20 Princes St.
Registration opens in room 418 at 10:30AM, with the first session an informal Show and Tell. Please bring items for discussion! The AGM for KHF members runs from 11.00AM to 12:45, followed by a break for lunch. Lunch is not provided so please bring your own or buy locally. The London College of Fashion is just off Oxford Street and there are many places to eat nearby.
The Knitting History Conference starts promptly at 2.00PM. Speakers and sessions for 2016 include:
- 2.00-2.45 Gieneke Arnolli – Curator of Textiles & Fashion, Fries Museum, The Netherlands
Typically Frisian lace knitting, between fact and fiction and Curating the Knitting! exhibition. - 2.45-3.30 Hanna Bäckström – PhD Candidate in Textile Studies, Uppsala University, Sweden
The publication of knitting and crochet patterns in Northern Europe 1790-1870 and Brief remarks on recent knitting history research in Sweden - 3.30-4.00 Michelle Hanks – PhD Candidate London College of Fashion
The Hand-Knitted Gift: using knitting as a research tool - 4.00-4.45 Discussion: The Media Representation Of Knitting
Reflections on knitting in the media – how would we represent the history of knitting? With Joyce Meader, Jane Malcolm-Davies and Sandy Black. Delegates wishing to participate will find it helpful to watch the documentary, ‘The Secret History of Knitting’, before this session https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B63vxlRIcfrOcDY0OWF1Nm4yZm8/view?usp=sharing.
There will be time for questions and general discussion from 4.45PM, after all the speakers have delivered their papers.
We welcome non-members and new members! Tickets cost £35 to non-members and can be booked in advance or on the door. If you have not joined KHF as a member, you can use the PayPal button below to buy your ticket. See payment methods page for alternative ways to pay.
The Secret History Of Knitting
Fourth on the provisional programme for this year’s Knitting History Forum Conference is a group discussion, “The Media Representation Of Knitting – reflections on knitting in the media and how would we represent the history of knitting?”
In order to participate fully in the conversation, before the session conference delegates will find it useful to prepare by watching the documentary ‘The Secret History of Knitting’, made by Blue Ant Media. Joyce Meader, Jane Malcolm-Davies and Sandy Black were all interviewed for the documentary and will be leading discussion. ‘The Secret History of Knitting’ can be viewed at https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B63vxlRIcfrOcDY0OWF1Nm4yZm8/view?usp=sharing
New Date! Knitting History Conference 2016
Save the date! Knitting History Forum Conference & AGM 2016 is on Saturday 19th November, at the London College of Fashion. The AGM begins in the morning and the Knitting History symposium in the afternoon. For more details, download a provisional conference programme, but full programme and details are to follow. For now here is a taste of the event from last year.
Click on Membership to renew your KHF subscription for this year. Tickets cost £35 to non-members and can be booked on the door or in advance.
Dumfries House Wool Conference 2016
The Prince of Wales has called it the “Davos of Wool”. September 9th sees the first ever Dumfries House Wool Conference, described as a “gathering of key members of the fashion, interiors and wool industry organised by The Campaign for Wool” and “the largest and most prestigious international gathering of wool experts ever held in the United Kingdom. Animal welfare, sustainability and quality, environmental issues and slowing down fast-fashion turnover will be discussed during the conference.”
More details at The Campaign for Wool. Read Prince Charles’ own view as published in the Telegraph Magazine. It’s more measured and less sensational than the majority of ‘I set fire to / I buried my jumpers at Clarence House’ headlines in newsfeeds.
Study Day : Authenticity in Culturally-Based Knitting
Shetland Museum and Archives are hosting a free study day on Saturday 5 March 2016, from 10:00am – 4:00pm. “Authenticity in Culturally-Based Knitting” will be the last event from the programme “Knitting in the Round: Hand-Knitted Textiles and the Economy of Craft in Scotland”.
The event aims to explore the promotion, branding and marketing of so-called ‘authentic’ Shetland knitwear, and how a strong basis in heritage affects designers and industry alike. Speakers include Professor Lynn Abrams, Roslyn Chapman, Dr Carol Christiansen, Frances Lennard, Rhoda Hughson, Kathy Coull and Helen Robertson. For more details and a programme, visit http://www.shetlandmuseumandarchives.org.uk/events/study-day-authenticity-in-culturally-based-knitting.
Booking is essential. Tickets are still available via https://thelittleboxoffice.com/smaa/event/view/39600 or by phoning Shetland Museum and Archives on 01595 741562.
If you are unable to attend, you can watch a live broadcast which can be viewed online for free. Check http://www.shetlandmuseumandarchives.org.uk/collections/museum/textiles – a link to the live feed will be added there when available. You can also participate by joining the Q&A session by tweeting questions directly to the Museum, prefixed by @ShetlandM&A.
The Pasold Research Fund Conference 2012
THE PASOLD RESEARCH FUND CONFERENCE 2012
NORDISKA MUSEET, STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN. 27-29 September, 2012
“Innovation before the Modern, Cloth and Clothing in the Early Modern World”
Jointly organised by the University of Uppsala, Stockholm University,
K.A.Almgren Sidenvaveri & Museum and the Nordiska Museet. In English.
41 speakers with 3 Plenary lectures, introduced by 15 chairmen; mostly from UK and Scandinavia, others from France, Spain, Italy, Russia, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and USA.
The lectures were held in the Nordiska Museet with two concurrent sessions split between the lecture theatre and a conference room in a different building. The museum’s restaurant provided delicious lunches and teas and an evening reception by invitation of the K.A.Almgren Silk Mill Museum housed in its original mill building with contemporary machinery, was visited by ferry. These friendly sessions provided the usual entertaining discussions.
Papers were very varied, from dog-skin Maori cloaks to the finest silk ribbons from Italy, Scottish linen processing to Finish sumptuary laws, and all types of textile areas and organisation. Only two of us spoke specifically about knitting but one keynote lecture stimulated discussion of the trunk hose worn by Tudor men. Each ordinary paper was restricted to 25 minutes which restrained those (often PhD students) with a lot to say in a very short time. The plenary lectures were longer and very well presented.
There were problems with the split locations as the conference room, in the stable of a nearby house, was too far away to rush between the papers in each session. It was difficult to cross the double road, negotiate gates, garden and mud between the sessions themselves. Luckily abstracts had been circulated beforehand but several attractive papers were under-supported by this difficult damp walk.
Stockholm has many attractions, sadly there was little time to explore them on this visit but it was an interesting, well organised conference with a truly international flavour giving eye-opening information. I did manage to visit Uppsala to see the Sture clothing with the tiny silk glove which Lise Warburg introduced to us in 2009 as the earliest knitting in Sweden.
Kirstie Buckland