KHF AGM and Conference 2014

Another great day at our annual KHF AGM and Conference on Saturday, with a broad range of topics and plenty of discussion! Angharad Thomas took us on a tour through the history of two-colour glove-knitting, starting right from the earliest nalbindning examples in only one colour, presenting her conclusions so far. Tom van Deijnen introduced us to different methods of repairing knitting and wowed us with his meticulous mending skills, including a jumper repair commissioned by the Knitting and Crochet Guild. Amy Twigger Holroyd recapped the last ten years’ development of ‘Keep & Share’, the experimental knitwear label and open craft practice, impressing us with her beautiful knitting and thoughtful approach to her work. Barbara Smith shared her research on knitting and crochet in Britain and the Empire during the First World War, revealing some surprising facts and surviving items including some which can be matched to patterns in wartime magazines.

Detail of Joyce Meader’s reproduction of a Crimean War era jumper from her presentation at the 2014 Knitting History Forum Conference

Joyce Meader showed us a small portion of her collection, a veritable treasure trove of knitting and crochet patterns for the armed forces from the 1800s to now, with remarkable garments she reproduced from them. Our progress was recorded at the AGM with lively debate and fresh ideas for moving onwards and upwards. Look out for some interesting events next year!

A big thank you to our wonderful speakers for their inspiring and intriguing talks. Thank you also to Professor Sandy Black, Tricia Basham and all involved in organising the event, for making the day so enjoyable. And finally thanks to everyone who brought open minds, interesting questions, stimulating conversation – and their knitting!

Here’s a taste of the event in pictures, from our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.746156772144413.1073741827.338624112897683&type=1&l=835323cc2b