Blooming Marvellous

When we went Dorset a few weeks ago, I enjoyed a wonderful afternoon drinking tea and eating cake with an old friend, one of my oldest friends actually. We were at school together and then shared a room together when we first left home to go to art school. Amazing to still be in touch twenty five years on, with six children and two husbands between us.

Anyhow, she told me about an exhibition she'd recently been to at Bridport Arts Centre and recommended that I go see it if I could. The exhibition was called Blooming Marvellous and was described as "an intergenerational community knitting/crochet project culminating in a knitted/crocheted 3D garden".

Intriguing don't you think? A knitted GARden?? How could I possibly not go and see for myself?!

I really didn't know what to expect, it's quite a long time since I went to an art exhibition of any sorts. I was excited! And as I had Little Lady with me it felt like quite an adventure to be heading off to experience this together.

It was a bit baffling at first. As everything was visible all at once,  just entering the room was quite overwhelming. There was so much to see, big things and small things, a mind boggling amount to take in.

We began to work our way slowly around the room. We had to crouch down as most of the exhibits were on the floor. But it was an absolute necessity to get reeeeeeeeally up-close as the detail in everything was un-be-liev-able.

Ohh the work! The hours and hours and hours of creative work evident in this exhibition was astounding.

This exuberant floral border blew me away.

I loved the sheer fun of it, the absolute over-the-top, crazy joy of it!

 We crouched and gazed into this cool, blue yarny pool....

....and we circled round and round this buzzy, yarny bee hive.

We oooohhed and aaahhhhhed and mmmmmmmed over this knitty picnic.....

......and paused to appreciate this lush bowl of bright yarny fruit.

Like I say, the teeny tiny details in this exhibition were wonderful. Everywhere you looked there was something to surprise and delight. Tiny little knitted ladybirds crawled along windowsills and up walls. A knitted spider sat in a big knitted web at the window. A knitted owl roosted above a doorway. We couldn't stop smiling at every new discovery.

I think the veggie plot was my absolute favourite bit of all. I thought this little knitted tray of seedlings and seed packets was the cutest thing EVER.

There was an abundant harvest of vegetables.....

....tumbling out of crates and bags.

And can you see in the background there, a knitted shed! How ever many hours must it've taken to knit the side of a shed???!!

Throughout the duration of the exhibition there were regular knitting workshops held at the arts centre, with free patterns and help available to encourage people to contribute a little knitted something. The idea was to inspire people to become involved, to encourage the social aspects of knitting and crocheting together. 

Since coming home and reading the blog about the exhibition, it's become apparent just how many people were involved with it's creation. It was a huge community undertaking. This exhibition is sooooo much more than a collection of quirky handmade objects. The community spirit, the skill and the humour is truly awe inspiring.

Blooming Marvellous indeed.

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Edited to add :: a message from Pauline Stanley, the talented artist who organised this whole project...........

"HI, Just been sent the link to your Blog -it is wonderful and thank you all for writing such lovely things about it. I am the artist who organised this project with 1600 fantistic knitters - the youngest was 2 and the oldest was 99! Many of the knitters had disabilties including visual impairment, physical disability, learning disability and 42 groups took part. The garden is on tour around the UK. It is at Poole at Lighthouse art centre until 15th October and then will go into hibernation for the winter and will be at Durlston Country Park, Swanage in Dorset next Easter, then a casle in Wales for a few months then a museum in Yorkshire. It is avaialbe to hire and i would love some bokkings for it for over this winter rather than have it in storage.

Pauline Stanley 01202 392055"

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Mary Lou]

What a wonderful exhibit. Thanks for posting.

[Leanan]

Amazing!
Thank you for the lovely pictures and description of the place, I wish I could have been there!

[Barb L.]

It is so amazzing and overwhelming even if it was community of persons who put it together. I love it.

[Glyndalyn]

Wowsers again!

[taz]

hi ya luce - just looked in pleased to see you made it to the exhibition - thought you'd like it - see you all for more tea/cake next time you are down Taz x

[Julie]

So glad you saw this. The hanging basket was knitted by some friends in the Quangle Wangle Choir. Genius super-knitter Suzy devised some of the patterns. Jenny produced the blue tit and Joy the caterpillar. The mossy basket was, of course, made using moss and basket weave stitch by Juliet. Among other floral inspired knitters were Margaret,Stella,Cathie,+Lizzie x

[elaine rickett]

I have never seen anything quite like it - aren't people clever and imaginative

[Edith van der Bol]

Amazing!! I made the blue tit on your first foto for my mum who loves birds. It took me two afternoons. Can you imagine the time this exhibition took to make? I love it. Thank you so much for this.

[Angela-southern USA]

THANK YOU so much for sharing this!It is marvellous!Wish there was something like that in the States.Its fun to see some of the same projects in knit that I ve been doing lately in crochet.Frogs,bees,turtles..Thanks again for sharing.

[Angy]

Blooming marvellous is right! What A Faunatastic display! It's simply Floralicious! - I am soooo inspired!!

[sue]

Amazing......my husband and I loved the beehive.. (I just had to show him the photos). I would love to have been there, I would have been jumping up and down clapping my hands too. Whilst I dont do "fiddly" things myself I do appreciate the work that goes into such small projects but as a whole they look fabulous.What a lovely memory to share with your little lady!
Thanks for sharing that with us.

[Bonnie]

oh wow! Thanks for sharing! That is fantastic!

[Seaweedandraine]

My mind is boggling at the sheer extent of it all! :)

[sundararajan (@Scribb140)]

Splendid !! Awesome and 'mind blowing' could be the best understatement
Loved the tiny of tiniest details went into the backstage of this beautiful flowery exhibition

[Bev Slater]

Oh.My.Goodness!! This is so colourful, and playful and ...words fail me. Thank you so much for sharing something I would never have imagined done!! The frogs on the lily pads ...and the bees with their hive!! LOVE IT!! And thank you for all the help with learning to crochet - my sights are set on that flower cushion!!!

[duni]

so lovely! and i adore the beehive and pond- how clever!

[carol o]

Hello! I recently found your blog and really love it - like you I love crochet and knitting and quilting and patchwork and . . . .the list goes on . . .. all sorts of craft actually. My Dads late wife's elderly mother taught me to crochet when I about 12 or 13 (I'm 51 now). I am so glad that she did and love the fact that I can. You seem to be much more productive than me though and having your little people too - I admire what you do and have loved what I have seen of your work so far. Thank you so much for sharing it all with us and for your blog, I am really enjoying reading it and get excited ready for your next posting. We were in LR for our holiday back at the end of July too and visited many of the same places as you though sadly Bridport Arts centre was closed the day we chose to go to the town(!) but I would have LOVED to have seen this-my husband would have had a hard job getting me to leave though-but it is lovely to see your great pics-now I feel I haven't missed out, thank you once again. Look forward to seeing you again very soon.

[Kate]

Amazing! was in Bridport at t'weekend hope I didn't miss it (with my best friend from school who is a textile designer and teacher-she'd have loved it too!) Thanks to your inspiring blog we had a lovely weekend exploring the area with our families.

[Jennie]

Incredible. That is just incredible. Loved the pot of flowers on the windowsill. What a bunch of inspiration that provides! What kind of knitty things are going to tumble from the Attic do you suppose?

[Susan Matuszewska]

Hi Lucy, love your blog. Thanks for sharing precious moments. You MUST MUST MUST google 'crochet bikes' and click on 'images' Is there no end to the things we can crochet???All the best to you and your family, from Sue xx

[Berol]

Please forgive me for leaving 2 comments but I just wanted to let you know that my blog is still in the baby stage at the moment but I have introduced a new feature and made your blog the first featured blog on my site :) I hope that is ok? Thank you for having such a wonderful blog. Berol.

[Berol]

Wow! Words cannot describe how awesome that knitted garden is! Thank you for sharing it with us! :) Berol

[Carol Juniper]

I noticed from the blog that it would be in Poole - so will be able to go when I spend a few days near Corfe Castle in a week or so - I think there's a ferry to Poole - can't wait!!!

[SueW]

It is a marvellous exhibition. I saw it at Bournemouth Library a while back and I think it is due to go to Poole Lighthouse (the arts centre) soon so hopefully another chance to see. When at the Library I stood next to a lady who knitted a slug which apparently was on The One Show when they did a feature on the garden. The library also had knitted plant pots or vases of flowers on the desks and we loved the hanging baskets.

[Silke]

Wow - that's so cool!!!! Thanks for sharing!