Get your knit on

GEELONG’S National Wool Museum in breaking out the knitting needles and creativity in celebration of Worldwide Knit in Public Day.

Started internationally, the annual day is all about getting people to celebrate the art of knitting in public and showcasing the craft.

To be held on Saturday, June 14 the Wool Museum will open its does and encourage people to head in and try the skill.

Geelong Wool Museum programs manager Lynette Nilaweera said everyone was welcome to attend the event, whether they are new to the skill or seasoned knitters.

“If they’ve got a project going and they really want to show it off, it’s the perfect opportunity to come in and show everyone what you’ve been doing.

“There’ll be a lot of opportunities to sit and knit amongst friends and family, or strangers.”

This will be the first year the museum has held a dedicated event for the day, in the past it has welcomed people the opportunity to head in with their own knitting, making it a bigger event this year in honour of We the Makers and slow fashion.

“It takes you right back to using wool or natural fibres and making your own clothes, it really sits with the message of the sustainable fashion prize around circular economy, material choices and making clothes to last,” Ms Nilaweera said.

“Certainly when it comes to knitting, you can do that really easily, you can take an old jumper and pull it apart and then refashion it into something else and that’s really what we’re trying to do.”

The local event will also include Australian knitwear designer and teacher Pru Raymond, who is coming from South Australia to give a talk about decoding vintage patters and turning them into more modern pieces.

Members from the Geelong Hand Weavers and Spinners Guild will also be in attendance, with live demonstrations in the gallery.

“There will be a lot of opportunities for people to have a go, to watch and learn and we are also hosting a speed knitting competition, just to throw it open,” Ms Nilaweera said.

“There’ll be three different categories, beginner, intermediate and advanced and it’s basically cast on and then knit as many rows as you can in 15 minutes.”

People heading along on Saturday wearing a hand-knit or with their own knit in progress will receive free entry to the museum.

For more information and the full schedule for the day, head to geelongaustralia.com.au