Inspired by the versatility and beauty of wool Off Jumps Jack is a new adventure, inviting you on a journey to share and learn new and traditional skills, make new friends and creations to treasure.
I was introduced to knitting as a child when my mum knitted an epic multi coloured jumper. Labouring over the stitches for months until all the wool was gone, the result a colourful but uninspiring…well… sort of sack with arms, which sadly languished in the bottom of the wardrode. (Sorry Mum!). Surely, I thought, its easier to buy a jumper instead? Needleless to say my knitting ended there.
I was reintroduced, no – inspired, back to knitting, and indeed all things woollen at my little daughter’s Steiner kindergarten. Under Sue’s patient guidance I learnt to knit… scarfs, stuffed dogs and horses (the Unicorn was a particular hit) hens and hats. Small items were an instant hit with my daughter and impressed the other mothers as we juggled little children and casting on!
I was hooked… so crochet came next.
Great for simple items and not just about doilies, you can get quick results and its great for experimenting – flowers, bags and I even managed to crochet a top for my daughter’s Christening dress.
Then I discovered felt – fantastic! Needlefelting pictures, creating woollen felt angels and wet felting. With a bit of effort and imagination anything you produce looks wonderful. It’s so simple that my daughters now aged 4 and 6 make amazing wet felted creations, nests for their dolls and felted beads, and my friends co-created a brilliant needlefelted collage for my birthday.
The thrill of completing the latest masterpiece, oggling over beautiful wool or persisting with learning a new technique isn’t all that inspires me about woollen crafts. At the heart of it are the special times and friends that I have met along the way – the kindergarten mothers, knitting for fundraising craft fairs, new friends made on courses and, of course, the delight in a new knitted creation for my girls.
So my daughter, now aged 6, has asked me to teach her to knit. The pressure! The fun! Together we have experimented helped by the traditional poem:
“Jack goes through the front door,
runs round the back,
out through the window, and
off jumps Jack.”
She’s now working on a knitted cat.
The adventures with wool are endless… join the journey!
