Guerrilla Knits - A complete knitted festival? Knitting is making a huge comeback. Hollywood actors are giving up the kabala in droves to take up the needles and wool. And its not just an activity for women, Russell Crow is a keen knitter when he's not pretending to be a gladiator. In fact since taking up the order of the wool Russell hasn't hit a single hotel receptionist... The knitted shed! Outside- We will be attempting to knit a complete shed cover for one of our beloved festival sheds. On the outside the shed will appear spookily normal (wooden sides, tiled roof) until you get up-close and discover that reality is a in fact a knitted illusion. The roof tiles will be knitted in shades of a single colour, the sides will be horizontal slats, created by knitting a portion then passing the knitting on to someone else to continue, until the slat reaches the right length. The differences in tension between knitters will the mimic natural inconsistencies in wood. Door handle, hinges, doormat and window boxes will also be knitted! Inside - Open the door and enter a patchwork world...a shed to warm and comfort you. The floor, walls and roof will be entirely covered by a multicoloured patchwork blanket. Each knitter casts-on the number of stitches that represents their age and then knits a square. The resulting patchwork will be an instant visual representation of the age-range on knitters taking part. 
Knitted Curiosities Expect knitted door handle covers, knitted fruit in the veg shop, knitted jammy dodgers in the bakery and knitted birds in the trees! How? The project will work with artist Liz Noble and will encourage participation from individuals, community groups, older peoples groups and potentially schools to knit small items and patchwork squares. Groups will be offered kick-start sessions to inspire and offer practical advice. Workshops will be held in community centres and venues in a Touring Shed and participants will be encouraged to involve family members and friends in the project. The project will teach people a useful and traditional skill, encourage skill share and dialogue between intergenerational groups, provide an activity that families can do together as well as demonstrate a tangible common thread between different members of the community. It may even kick-start new knitting groups to continue after the festival.
For more info contact Jane Earnshaw at Interplay
Tel: 0789 631 8657 email: festival@interplayleeds.co.uk
www.interplaytheatre.org
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