Carlo Volpi
“If everyone does their bit we can move mountains.” Carlo’s been doing his bit for knitting since his Nan first taught him in an attempt to keep him quiet. He’s now determined to start on moving mountains and launch himself as a knitwear designer who’s passionate about his craft and the social, economic and environmental importance of supporting the British yarn industry.
Carlo was born in Italy, but happily acknowledges his delight in working with Rowan and British wool and his appreciation of the particular ‘simple, natural’ feel of the home- produced yarn.
He’s quite happy to acknowledge his delight in knitting, period:
“What I really like about knitting is its magic: I absolutely love sitting down in silence for hours watching a
single strand of yarn being slowly turned into a beautiful, three- dimensional structure that has been carefully designed and planned. I love creating complex stitch structures and perfect mathematical arrangements and I’ve always thought knitting is like a soap opera: it’s full of drama, complexities, tears but, most of the time, a happy ending.”
For his competition piece he deliberately went for a challenge – a fisherman’s rib to be knitted entirely in the round. “I don’t really like any of the bits that don’t involve knitting and doing garments in the round avoids the need for sewing up!” Quite.
“Wool is an amazing material to work with. It’s waterproof yet breathable, it’s elastic, can felt and, most importantly, each staple has its own history. Now, how can a man made fibre compare with that?”
Stephanie Szumlakowski
“Being part of the Campaign has really opened my eyes to what is available in natural colours; I had no idea before but during the summer I visited a shop in Skye where the owner had managed to cover the entire colour wheel using stuff like bog plants, dried mushrooms and green beans as natural dyes. ”
Stephanie spent her childhood in Ayrshire, surrounded by a family of knitters and the sea; she was inspired by both. At 16 she’d knitted a baby pink scarf but didn’t do much until, returning from Dundee University one holiday, she came upon her Mum knitting ‘whacky hats with ears on them ‘. Stephanie ran with the idea and started a veritable craze among her peers for ‘titfers’ with
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acoustic additions. And she’s been knitting presents for people ever since, although the competition piece is her first complete garment.
Traditional skills have always appealed - she taught herself macrame and tatting while a student at Jordanstone College of Art and Design but, if the need arises, she just makes up a brand new stitch.
“The RCA has really encouraged me to explore the realm of the hand- made and the Campaign for Wool is a great device to promote wool and get it the respect and interest it deserves. It offers so much more that the primal necessity of warmth – it gives comfort and security and it stands for a purity that we rarely see in contemporary fashion.”
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