NEWCASTLE KNITTER TAKES HER CRAFT TO NEW HEIGHTS
Jun 21 2009 by Katy Simpson, Sunday Sun (Edited)
A KNITTER from Newcastle will be taking her craft to new heights atop Trafalgar Square’s empty plinth.
Knitting and crochet tutor Anne Makepeace, from Gosforth, has travelled from Scotland to Sussex giving knitting and crochet workshops. But she has never taken her passion anywhere as exciting as the square’s fourth plinth, where she is heading next month as part of Anthony Gormley’s One and Other project. The Angel of the North creator is enabling different people to make the plinth their own, every hour, 24 hours a day, for 100 days without a break. Anne is one of the 2400 people who will climb up to the space normally reserved for Kings and Generals, but which is being handed over instead to people of all walks of life.
The mum-of-two is planning to spend her hour of fame showing people how much fun knitting can be, surrounded by woolly flowers. She is appealing for people to knit or crochet flowers for her to take on to the plinth, which will later be sold to raise funds for two charities. Arthritis Care Newcastle City Branch and RNIB Bexhill on Sea Branch
Anne is the second North East participant to be revealed as taking part in the human artwork project in London. More than 200 people from the region applied to take part. Each of the participants have been chosen at random by computer from thousands of entrants. They are allowed to do anything they want, as long as it is within the law, from entertaining the tourists below to educating people about a message of importance to them. Anne said: "I applied because I thought it was a chance to do something different.
"It’s supposed to be a representation of people all around the UK, so I thought it would be good idea to take my knitting up there, as people often think knitting is just for grannies, and it’s not at all. I will never get an opportunity like that to show off what I can do, and show that knitting is fun. My favourite thing is to knit is socks, but you wouldn’t be able to see what I’m doing, as the plinth is 8 metres high! It’s got to be something big, bold and bright that can be seen from below, so I’m going to do a huge piece of colourful knitting and attach the flowers to that. I’m hoping to get my friends from around the world to make me some flowers to take up there. I’d appreciate any donations from anyone who would like to get involved."
Anne will take up her place on the plinth on Sunday, July 26th from 5.00 to 6.00pm.
Among the tourists in Trafalgar Square, there will also be Anne’s husband Andrew, daughter Sarah, 13, son Euan, 21, and their grandparents. Anne said: "It’s going to be a big family day out, I am hoping some of my knitting friends will be there too. Because of the workshops I do, I’m quite used to knitting or crocheting in front of people. However, doing it in such a public place will be quite a challenge! And, with it being a Sunday in the summer, I suspect it’s not going to be quiet. I am actually quite pleased that somebody from Newcastle got picked because everyone knows the Angel of the North."
Donations of knitted or crocheted flowers should be sent to Anne via her business address at 58 Low Friar Street, Newcastle, NE1 5UE.
If you are part of a knitting group that would like to get involved – it may be an idea to collect all the flowers and send them to me in one batch. Latest date for receipt is Thursday, 23rd July. MailBoxes Etc Newcastle (
http://www.mbenewcastle.co.uk/ ) have kindly agreed to support me by offering to cover the costs of postage for this purpose. Please contact me for further details
annemakepeace@btopenworld.com with 4th Plinth in the subject line.
If you are in London on Sunday 26th July I would love it if you could come and support me, shout hello, and knit around the plinth in Trafalgar Square and help prove that Knitting and Crochet is fun, friendly and not all old fashioned!
Patterns for simple flowers, large or small can be found on the following websites :
http://www.ravelry.com/
http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/
http://www.crochetpatterncentral.com/
A Note About the Flowers
Flowers can be any colour, size or shape – this is your chance to go wild!! and help make my knitting noticable. All I ask is that you please leave at least a 3-4 inch tail on each flower. This will make it easier to attach to my knitting – and detach later to be made into flower brooches and corsages for sale. Thank you.
Further Information can be found here -
http://www.oneandother.co.uk/ applications are still being taken!!!
http://www.london.gov.uk/fourthplinth/
