What next?
The Collection is still growing. Please give it a helping hand. The Guild will pay for delivery of donations and/or arrange for their collection and delivery through its sometimes bizarre system of contacts.
Older items (anything made before 1960) are harder to find and would be very welcome. There is little if any hand knitting in charity shops these days, and most of the crocheted garments are recent commercially made imports.
Another crochet wedding dress, worn in 1972 has recently been donated, but we don't have a handknitted wedding dress. Even a photo of one being worn would be welcome.
Stop Press: Oh yes, we do now have a handknitted wedding dress, thanks to a recent donation. Watch this space for details and photo – coming soon!
Our collection of traditional British knitting is small – there are only 2 ganseys, for example, and no Dent gloves.
Our four pairs of Sanquhar gloves are all made to the same stitch pattern.
Every Fair Isle item I see is different from any other.
Stocking knitting was such an important part of the culture and economy for so many areas and communities, but the Collection does not have any examples.
The list of yarns that we know we don't have in the Collection is almost as long as the list of yarns we do have. There must be many more that aren't yet on either list. Odd balls, or even a ball band with a small sample are enough.
Garments and yarns from the 1980s are beginning to find their way to charity shops. It was such an exciting time for knitting and crochet that we should be able to gather together a really expansive and exuberant collection.
Please don't think that the knitted and crochet things you have aren't good enough. The Guild Collection aims to illustrate 'the social history of domestic knitting and crochet' which includes the things that 'ordinary' people, like you and me, made for themselves and their families, from commercial patterns and using commercial yarns.
Don't assume that the Collection already has 'one of those' (whatever it might be). Out of the whole Collection, there are three bed jackets all made to the same pattern and two jumpers (from different donors), but in different yarns and colours so that they look different.
Just imagine all the different styles and colours of knitted and crocheted garments you've made over the years, add to them the ones you've just seen … and then let's aim to have one of each in the Collection!