Rare Breeds: A Celebration of British Wool and Hand Knitting Skills
Letter from Isabel
It’s two years since Connolly showed the last Knitwise initiative, a collection of hand-knitted shawls made in collaboration with The King’s Foundation. Since then we have been working with the talented knitters of Dumfries House on a new project celebrating British wool clipped from native rare breeds, alongside His Majesty King Charles’s own clip from Dumfries House.
The Knitwise ladies have spent over 100 hours on each limited edition piece, using both traditional and free-style knit stitches to showcase their skill and technique. Working collaboratively as a collective, they have created these one-of-a-kind knitted works made from the wools of the rare sheep breeds found at Dumfries House and the United Kingdom, including the Cheviot, the Castlemilk Moorit and the Herdwick. These beautiful knitted artworks make the perfect rug for a child’s bedroom or thrown over the back of a chair or a car seat .. or as in my case … my dog has fallen in love with Hamish, inspired by the smiling Herdwick breed and our poster boy for the project!
This project is supported by The King’s Foundation and the Joseph Ettedgui Charitable Foundation. All proceeds from the sale of the King’s Clip flock will go to two charities of the Knitwise group’s choice: Cancer Research UK and Ayrshire Cancer Support.
- Isabel
