CONTENTS

INDULGE textiles to buy, collect or simply admire 10 HOW TO Make paper flowers with Tiffanie Turner 13 ON PRESCRIPTION Notions of good health Polly Leonard recommends a trip to a local haberdasher to beat the January blues 65 GUIDING HAND Cecilie Telle’s basket collection 78 SHOP TALK NO 8 Jane Audas goes shopping at egg

GLOBAL textiles from around the world 42 FIRE AND ICE AND WOOL Hélène Magnússon takes us on a tour of Iceland

ANECDOTE textiles that touch our lives 28 LOVE’S LABOURS In all labour there is profit by Amelia Thorpe 36 IN THE RED The HCA Radcliffe Red List of Endangered Crafts by Greta Bertram, illustrated by Jenny Bower 38 DIRTY LAUNDRY Kaarina Kaikkonen airs her ideas in public by Liz Hoggard 56 FEELING BETTER Knitting to improve health and wellbeing by Betsan Corkhill, illustrated by Oana Befort 66 SECURITY BLANKETS Birgitta Nordström’s infant wrapping cloths by Dr Jessica Hemmings, photography by Peder Hildor 68 HIT THE SACK Gingham Girls, Marilyn Monroe and Barbie by Dr Gillian VogelsangEastwood, photography by Joost Kolkman

ATTIRE critical reporting of fashion trends 14 STORMY SEAS Carl Bengtsson photographs billowing gowns 18 TINKER, TAILOR, SISTER, MAKER Faye and Erica Toogood’s unisex, utilitarian vision by Kate Cavendish, photography by Tom Johnson 52 A NATION IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING The origins,history and design of the Icelandic Lopi Sweater by Ásdís Ósk Jóelsdóttir

INDUSTRY from craft to commerce 24 THE OBJECT OF THE EXERCISE The Future of Textile Museums by Marie O’Mahony, photography by Patrick Forget 32 CHECKMATE Cockpit Arts and the Clothworkers’ Foundation Award 59 DOUBLE KNIT Jess Quinton and Jane Chadwick talk about how they knit two together 60 IN THE WARS Looking back at the essential role of baskets during World War One by Hilary Burns

STORMY SEAS Carl Bengtsson photographs billowing gowns

TINKER,TAILOR, SISTER, MAKER

Faye and Erica Toogood's unisex, utilitarian vision ing lm ie Ve l: Soph

. Mode ryony Toogood tylist: B

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tographer: Carl Bengtsson

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Call them postmodern Brontë sisters. Faye and Erica Toogood were born and raised in rural Rutland, UK, without a television, and enjoyed long country walks for entertainment. The girls' imaginations took flight: Faye would collect bits and bobs she'd find along the way, developing her magpie eye into an aesthetic that led to a successful career as a stylist, vitrine dresser, furniture and interiors designer. Erica trained as a pattern cutter, where she learned to dress both private clients and actors in theatre productions. And together the Toogood sisters have created an eponymous line of unisex clothing that embraces an engagingly utilitarian, sculptural point of view.

Faye and Erica refer to themselves as ‘tinker’ and ‘tailor’ respectively, which highlights what each brings to the creative process: Faye focuses on the materiality of the collection, while Erica realises their audacious silhouettes. They further call themselves makers, not designers, emphasising both their craft and the dynamic nature of their practice.

Johnson

Tom

The sisters chose to make their Toogood label ‘authentically’ unisex. Their garments (even the dresses) code neither male nor female, so that the wearers are free to style each piece as they wish. Erica cuts sizes 0-3 on women, and 4-6 on men; some women might size up for an oversized silhouette; some men might size down for a more fitted look. This standardisation is deliberate: Toogood clothing is meant to free its wearer from constraints of gender and fit, so 4

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To admire the best permanent collection of old Icelandic textiles in the country, you have to drive all the way up to the North of Iceland, to the Textile Museum in the town of Blönduós. This three-hour drive from Reykjavík is certainly worth it, if only for the views. The Textile Museum is the only one of its kind in Iceland. Its purpose is to collect, preserve and catalogue national textiles, featuring knitted wool, embroidery, weaving and national costumes (you can even touch some of the exhibits with the gloves provided). Note that the museum is only open in summer, and in winter for groups on demand.

Facing the Textile Museum is the Women’s College which hosts the Icelandic Textile Centre. If you are a textile artist, you may want to apply for a residency in this place, beautifully restored with a stunning view on the mouth of the river Blandá, one of the best rivers for salmon fishing in Iceland. As a visitor, it’s highly recommended to pay a visit to the Vatnsdælur Tapestry; an ongoing embroidery work initiated by Jóhanna Palmadóttir which illustrates the local Vatnsdælur saga. You can even learn the old Bayeux stitch under the guidance and teachings of Jóhanna, and contribute to this 46 metre-long work.

A bit further north, in the village of Sauðárkrókur, a visit to the local tannery Sútaran is worth the drive.There you can also shop for sheep skins and an amazing selection of fish leathers. On your way up north and all around Iceland, you will find many local craft shops, markets and displays of textile artefacts in district folk museums.

In the west, you may want to stop in the town of Hvanneyri, at Ullarselið; a store set up by local artisans using wool and other natural Icelandic material (such as bones for buttons and jewellery). One of the Ullarselið members, Guðrún Bjarnadóttir, runs the dyeing studio Hespa in the Hespuhúsið (‘winded skein house’).There she plant-dyes Icelandic wool according to old Icelandic traditions, and guests are welcome to look into the dyepots and learn about the plantdyeing tradition in Iceland.

In the south, close to the town of Selfoss, is the Thingborg Wool Collective. This consists of a group of women who started meeting here to work with indigenous wool – eventually opening a wool workshop and gallery. Thingborg is wellknown in the region for its soft lopi made of Icelandic lambswool. It is only available in the four natural colours of the Icelandic lamb: white, grey, black and brown, and Icelandic women go to Thingborg from all over the country to get their hands on it. The shop also has a nice selection of plied and hand-dyed yarns, kits, sweaters and accessories, all knitted with the soft lopi.

A bit further away, by the bridge over the river Þjórsá, is a gem you cannot miss: Uppspuni, the very first minimill in Iceland. This mill is equipped with the same machines found in a regular mill, but in miniature sizes. Thus, it can spin small quantities at a time. The possibilities offered by Icelandic wool are endless – it’s not just the two different kinds of hairs and the beauty of its natural colours, but also the diversity that can be found 4

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FEELING BETTER Knitting to improve health and wellbeing

In 2005 I stumbled across a number of letters extolling the benefits of crafting, particularly knitting, and it changed the course of my life. My background as a physiotherapist has enabled me to combine my medical knowledge with the science behind knitting, in order to enhance its benefits and develop it as a tool to improve wellbeing.

Therapeutic knitting combines knitting with the practical knowledge to improve wellbeing. Anyone can prosper from it, and it can also manage the symptoms of many medical conditions. At its core is the fact that we all have the ability to change neurologically, biologically, behaviourally and socially. We can even change the connections in our brain and grow new brain cells and pathways. The person that is ‘you’ changes with every experience you have. Excitingly, change is possible right into old age as long as you keep learning new skills and stay mentally and socially active – all of which knitting facilitates.

Hand function has driven the development of our brains throughout evolution. Knitting involves a complex pattern of two-handed, rhythmic, repetitive movements that soon become automatic. Such movements take up a lot of brain capacity leaving less energy to pay attention to other issues that may be detrimental to health. With this in mind, I teach a more two-handed crochet technique where the yarn-holding hand actively feeds yarn. You can achieve a wonderful rhythm with crochet but you may need to pace it carefully, as the combination of the grip and repetitive turning can give some people hand pain.

ana Befort

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Rhythmic and repetitive movement enhances serotonin, which raises mood and has a calming effect. A survey of over 3,500 knitters from 31 countries, found that the more frequently people knit, the happier and calmer they feel.

The benefits of knitting alone enables you to manage daily stress, which can build up in the background. It is important to take time out to switch off, to just be. In our ever busy, screenbased world, it is important to ‘be slow’ and engage in 3D tactile activities. Knitting stimulates forward thinking, planning, goal setting, and teaches patience and perseverance which are in danger of becoming lost in today’s quick-fix society. Knitting alone also enables you to enjoy solitude, which can combat loneliness. Getting together to knit, laugh and chat with others can lower stress, and people with support structures like this often live happier, healthier, longer lives.

Think about the materials you use and the projects you knit. Your choice of project will influence the mind state you enter. Easier projects help you relax, and you can even choose to knit mindfully. If you have problems sleeping, I recommend trying out knitting for 10-20 minutes before bed. This calms whirring thoughts, and encourages rest. Keep a small project by your bed if waking in the night is a problem. Knitting’s portability is key to its development as an effective wellbeing tool. You can access its benefits any time, anywhere. You can carry a small project around in your bag so you have confidence in the knowledge that it will be there for you.Whenever you feel anxiety rising, take out your knitting to achieve that instant calm.

www.knitforhealthandwellness.com

Knitting was even used as a treatment for soldiers with shell shock during WWI. No one knew then how it worked, but recent brain scanning studies have found that performing a visuospatial movement during or shortly after a traumatic event can significantly reduce the number of flashbacks.

Occupational therapists have historically used crafts for therapeutic effect. Sadly, many were forced to move away from this to focus on the assessment of daily living tasks, provision of aids and home adaptations. Until recently there has been little evidence to support them in their argument for the benefits of making. But that’s changing. Interest in creative approaches to improving wellbeing and the ability to recover is growing. The medical community is realising that dealing with illness and recovering well is about a lot more than addressing the symptoms of ill health alone. It’s about the whole person. Knitting has the potential to enhance anyone’s life. It’s a win-win situation. You get to knit every day while improving your wellbeing: and personally, I think that’s a pretty good way to live life. Betsan Corkhill

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