Knitting is in the news again – this time it's the BBC with the headline Giant blanket in mountain 'hug'. The story is about Ann Jordan, a student at the Swansea Met, who has knitted a blanket for a mountain.
The blanket doesn't cover the whole mountain – that would be a lot of knitting! – but it's fascinating to hear about the story behind the artwork and the way wool is tied to the region. The article is well worth reading and the blanket is on display until 25 April 2010 – so you could drop in if you're driving that way to Wonderwool but do check the weather and that the walk is suitable for you.
The story includes some of the facts and figures about the blanket which are particularly fascinating for knitters. A real understanding of what 8kg of yarn (for example) looks like might make it less – or more – impressive. For example, it's a lot of yarn to buy, spin or knit at one time – but it'll still fit in the car, and you could probably carry it home on the bus without too much trouble. It's 80 pairs of socks – a lot – but maybe only eight jumpers (particularly if you're knitting larger sizes) or four fairly ordinary throws.
It's certainly a heck of a lot of yarn to work into one project and the end result looks amazing. The BBC website also has a photo gallery with more pictures of the project and you can also read more about the blanket on the Black Mountain at the Brecon Beacons site.
