Upstairs in an historic industrial building in the centre of the West Yorkshire town of Slaithwaite is a vast collection of handmade items, tools and publications charting the history of knitting and crochet in the UK. The Knitting and Crochet Guild Collection was started in 1991 and is cared for by a team of dedicated volunteers.

Hidden away in this fascinating archive is an extraordinary collection of handmade garments, patterns, yarns, tools, publications and shade cards, all connected to the rich history of knitting and crochet in the UK. Thousands of items have been donated by makers from across the country, preserving not just beautiful pieces of work, but also the stories, skills and social history behind them.

The collection has grown into a real treasure trove, an invaluable research resource for academics and historians, but also an endless source of inspiration for contemporary designers, knitters and crocheters.

I feel hugely privileged to have been invited along to see some of the Collection for myself. I loved chatting with Angharad Thomas a Volunteer Textile Archivist and Isobel Holland a Collection Volunteer over in Slaithwaite, and am very grateful to them for speaking to me for Making Stitches Podcast.

You can find out all about the Knitting and Crochet Guild over on their website along with all the information we chatted about in our conversation about the Collection including when their upcoming events will be happening.

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The theme music is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops.

The Making Stitches logo was designed by Neil Warburton at iamunknown.

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Making Stitches  Podcast is supported by the Making Stitches Shop which offers Making Stitches Podcast merchandise for sale as well as Up the Garden Path crochet patterns created by me & illustrated by Emma Jackson