Yarn Collective at the Library

Since November last year, Harrison library has been hosting the Yarn Collective. Meeting around lunchtime to early afternoon twice a month, this group is organised by Sarah Zacharek from Student Success Coaches and Marion Sheffield, a senior Lecturer in Social Work.

We are enjoying hosting the group which meets on the ground floor of Harrison library. It is a great opportunity for staff and students to relax, chat, craft and learn a new skill. Some of our staff are also enthusiastic members of the club. You can read all about our Collection Librarian Katie’s experience with the Yarn Collection here in the Coaches' Community Newsletter.

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Crafts like Knitting, Crochet and other Fibre arts are not only enjoyable, but also can be important in the academic, artistic, and political fields.

Here are some resources at the Library for those who want to delve deeper into Fibre Arts:

• Crocheting for Dummies and Knitopedia - two practical guides for getting started.
• Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts: Amigurumi and A Stitch in Time: Knitting and Crochet patterns of the 1920s, 1930s & 1940s –  pattern books which you can use for projects or just to draw inspiration from
• Diasporic threads: Black women, fibre & textiles – a zine exploring Black Textile artists who have often been neglected in art and social histories
• Architectures of Weaving: From Fibers and yarns to Scaffolds and Skins – a book examining building practices through the lens of textiles in the quest to find more sustainable and resilient approaches.
• The Fabric Folios book series – a series including books on the embroidery of Palestine, Afghanistan, India and Pakiston, and Textiles from the Balkans, China, and Africa, showcasing the cultural heritages of textiles from each region
• Radical Lace & Subversive Knitting – an art book with an array of contemporary artists who approve the craft in innovative ways and demonstrating how the cultural, social and political intersect with “Arts and Crafts” today
• Embroidery: The textile art magazine – a journal, which we have from 2002 onwards, with interviews artists, reviews books and exhibitions and the latest news on fashion and textiles.
• Art and Architecture database – search this database for a large variety of articles on the history, art, and politics of the crafts.