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Patterns from the past

18.05.12

In 1972, craft pioneer Anna Templeton published a book of knitting patterns called “Operation Homespun.” The goal was to inspire and enlighten knitters across the provinces with written patterns for traditional local items — trigger mitts, vamps, and sweaters.

“This book is designed to be helpful,” she wrote, the emphasis her own. “All the items in it have been made, tested and exhibited in Newfoundland and Labrador.”

“Tested” was an understatement. Similar patterns had been used for years and years, on the ocean and in the woods, generally passed down from one generation to the next and never written down until “Operation Homespun.” The book was updated and reprinted in 1980, and the original was printed again by the Anna Templeton Centre for Craft Art and Design in 2010, as a way of honouring its namesake and inspiring a new crop of knitters.

As a way to keep the momentum of the book going, the centre, in collaboration with the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador, is presenting “Operation Homespun: The Next Generation,” an exhibit of contemporary knitting based on the patterns in the original “Operation Homespun” book.

Source: The Telegram