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Alexandra
Palace Words and Pictures by Geraldine Curtis |
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If you've never been to Alexandra Palace, I hope to convince you that's it's well worth the effort, especially if it's to visit The Knitting and Stitching Show! My day started well, I was up early, ready early and off early, only to be met by a wall of traffic where I had thought my passage to the train station would be clear. I arrived on the platform out of breath with three minutes to spare to find that the London train was delayed. When my heart had finished pounding I decided this was a good omen that I hadn't actually missed the train. I even had time to talk for five minutes to an old acquaintance who was visiting London for the day with her husband whose birthday it was. The journey passed uneventfully and we arrived at St Pancras the same 15 minutes late, ten further minutes were spent queuing up for an underground ticket, but once on the Piccadilly platform a train was pulling in and off we went. Alighting at Wood Green tube station, it was a short walk across the road to the bus stop. My fellow travellers and I did miss the complimentary bus waiting for the traffic lights to change, but the W3 was there and £1 didn't seem much to take us up the long hill and drop us outside the magnificent building of Alexandra Palace.
I say magnificent, which encompasses not only the building, but also the surroundings. One step off the bus and you are transported to another world, as a breathtaking vista awaits you, quite unlike any other view you will see across London. (Except perhaps from the London Eye) Apparently it's where the final glaciers of the ice age came to rest, leaving a huge hill and the plain stretching out before you was the result of thousands of years of melt waters washing out from the ice. Scenery accepted, it's across the road and round the back to the
entrance. There we were met by a welcoming bear. Straight away the eye is bombarded with beautiful sight, exhibitions of needlecraft the quality of which sets the heart racing and a mental notes are made to make the effort to join this Guild or that Guild if it means all your hard word will be on display at such an exciting exhibition. Having made these resolutions and found my bearings, I was off to find all the knitted work in this myriad of 'all-singing all-dancing' textiles. Interestingly, the first person I saw was John Allen, the machine knitting guru, but unfortunately by the time I'd extricated my camera from its case he'd gone and so had my chance. On
entering The Resource Centre, found off to the right of the main
corridor, I was met by a buzz of activity. Over to the right
was the Cast Off stand complete with gigantic needles which just
begged to have someone whacky enough to use them, and ladies spinning
yarn and encouraging all those who came near to have a go. In front
of their stand I met Bernadette and Emma released from their school
for the day (Hi to Clacton County High School) and having a great
time working the over sized French Knitting machine, a must for
all those with an inch of space going begging in their workrooms!
Once back at the BHKC stand, I was sent off on my first assignment to photograph the Student Textile Awards. Chatting
to people also admiring the students work, I engaged in conversation
someone who just happened to be knitter and author Nicky Epstein,
over here to promote her latest book. I regained my composure
just in time to ask her to let me take a photo next to the Student
awards stand.
Back
at the BHKC stand the tension was mounting (tension... knitting...?)
the heats of the fastest crocheter were drawing to a close and
it became obvious the 'shoot out' would be between last year's
winner Lily Chin and our own fastest crocheter Susan Briscoe. With encouragement from the audience the three minutes flew by and Lily, with holsters still smoking, emerged the clear winner ready to reign for another year. Her husband, Clifford, is one of her greatest fans and he was there with the rest of us cheering her on. I spoke to him later and he recounted the number of times Lily has appeared on American television, the most famous, or should that be infamous when she was invited on the David Lettermann show to crochet a jumper in the time it took for the the show to run. If you've seen Lily in action, you'll know this was not an impossible feat for one so amazingly quick, but Lily, not the one to miss an opportunity left David with the jumper made during the show, together with one she had 'knitted earlier' with a big 'L' on the front. He went on to tell me that Lily travels across America teaching and promoting her books. By this time we were all flagging and in need of a cup of tea to refresh those parts which needed refreshing and to give us strength to have one final look round the show before closing time.
Here I should perhaps mention the ladies waiting on the side line for their big competion the following day, ie The Fastest Knitter. Last year's winner was our very own Wendy Moorby, who was taking the opportunity to stay with her daughter who lives in London. Wendy who is apt to hide her light under a bushel, was very modest about her achievement and was gearing up to take a trip of a lifetime on the London Eye, not to survey the sights, but to knit a poncho in the time it took for the Eye to rotate once. ( I would have been up there for three weeks, well done Wendy!)
Another contender was lovely Kaete Brady from New Hampshire, America. More used to crocheting dresses, she designed and crocheted her daughter's wedding dress. She is the American 'Fastest Knitter' over for the contest and for someone who lives in a community of 28 with no postal service was enjoying every minute of the hustle and bustle of the show.
Someone else who caught my eye as a strong contender for the Fastest Knitter was Hazel Tindall from The Shetlands. It made me wonder whether knitting was in Hazel's blood as the speed at which she could knit was something to behold. It seems knitting in the Shetlands has evolved in a slightly different way where traditionally they have knitted as a livelihood and obviously they need to do it at speed. To help with this, they place the end of their needle (it is pointed at both ends) in a padded leather pouch attached to a special belt. Time just whizzed by and having wished Wendy, Kaete and Hazel the best of luck in the next day's competition, I caught the complimentary bus on its last run of the day back to the underground. Fired with the excitement of the day, only a few more weeks and I can do it all again at Harrogate!! For details of the Harrogate Knitting Show click on the logo below
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OK, it was a person
dressed up as a bear, but it makes a nice photograph. Entering
the building, again the lofty ceiling and the airiness of the entrance
hall is enough to set your head spinning and its here that most
people stop to fill their cards in with name and address and the
added bonus of a chance to win some exciting product. (So exciting
that I can't quite remember what the offer was!) Looking over a
few shoulders, it was clear I wasn't the only one who had spent
the last three hours travelling, there were visitors from nearby
Surrey, Wakefield, Germany and far away America and Australia. 
Later on I had a chat to a lady whose flat mate had actually made
this contraption. "I just came home one day and there it was..." she
stated incredulously. One stand over was the home of the BHKC where
I was to spend most of the rest of the day, helping newcomers on
the finer points of learning to knit and to record the height of
my visit The Fastest Crocheter competition.
I
became mesmerised by the lady handknitting a scarf on her fingers,
who needs knitting needles she was saying... 
Nicky
is veteran of nine knitting books. Her popularity was quite obvious
by the fact that stocks of her new book had already sold out by
midday on the Friday of the show. Back to work, I took photos of
the winners of the Student Textile Awards, Serena Fuller a future
queen of the catwalk if the work she had on display is anything
to go by, second was Emily Burnham who focused on Childhood Memories
to conjure up some dreamy bags and third, Claire Tamm who had my
vote for being inspired by Titania and her faeries. Several of
the students were manning the stand, so I had a good chat with
Stephanie, who having just graduated was hoping to make knitted
handbags to sell in London boutiques and do some freelance work.
Serena, who had won first prize was off to the dizzy heights of
New York having landed the job of junior designer at a knitwear
company (best of luck Serena!) and Mandeep, who wowed everyone
with her machine knitted jewellery was just a delight to talk
to and drink in her enthusiasm, she's sure to go far!
But
first we would be treated to a knitted fashion show organised by
a South African company. I spoke to one of the organisers later,
not realising how popular hand knitting is over there. They also
manufacture some amazing yarns, chenille type, spaced dyed, 'luxury
on a stick' as they say. Our own Dave Rotchelle was host to the
competition and modesty aside would give Michael Parkinson a run
for his money on the interviewing front. Accompanied by an enormous
stop clock ( which, I'm assured will be returned to the start,
by the beginning of next year's marathon)
the
contest began. Now, unless you've witnessed these ladies in action
it's hard to describe the speed at which they can wield their hooks.
It really is like seeing a film speeded up, quite incredible. 
