Pattern for nålbinding tapestry, ahead of the show.

In the spirit of looking forward – I have been invited to create works for a solo exhibition of my practice at Second Home, in Aberdeen, from April to June 2022. This seems a long way off – the simple reasoning being the COVID-19 restrictions making in-person shows a lot more challenging than they may previously have been to plan. However, this long time frame is to my benefit as it allows me to purchase the raw wool, spin it, dye it, and create it.

I will be showing works using knitting, embroidery, and a pre-knitting and pre-crochet method of creating fabrics with wool called nålbinding. Nålbinding uses one large tapestry style needle, and was how the Vikings made their clothes.

I am beginning by creating sketches of what the final tapestries will look like, and then working from there. In many ways this entire show is one large performance, as I find knitting, embroidery and nålbinding to be mindful practices, allowing you to focus only on what you are doing in the here and now – and indeed, the slowness of the processes of spinning, dyeing, plying, and then weaving, knitting, stitching is, in itself, a slower, more mediative practice and can therefore become a lifestyle for me in the year I have to create the show.

The wool used in the show will be sourced from Aberdeen and the surrounding area (just now, most of it is coming from a shepherdess in Huntly), and the tapestries will depict the coastlines and the spots near the city I enjoy swimming in. It is a portrait of Aberdeen(shire) using wool and materials sourced in Aberdeen(shire) and made in the city of Aberdeen.

I am calling the show A Stitch In Time, in reference to the durational performance aspect of creating the works, and will be documenting the creation of the works through video, photography and time-lapse footage.