A special installation to mark the 80th anniversary of VE (Victory in Europe) Day in 2025, which is being created by a group of knitters in France, will be a centrepiece at next year’s Wonderwool Wales event in the heart of Mid Wales.
Tansy Forster and her fellow knitters have agreed to create the new installation especially for the 19th Wonderwool Wales, the premier wool and natural fibre festival in Wales which will be held at the Royal Welsh Showground, Builth Wells on April 26 and 27.
The new work follows the great success of The Longest Yarn, an 80 metre, 3D wool art depiction of the D-Day landings in France on June 6, 1944, which is currently touring the UK.
The Longest Yarn installation features 80, one metre long panels, each depicting scenes of the build-up to D-Day in England, the horrors on the landing beaches and the bloody inland battles.
More than 1,000 knitters from across the world contributed to the project which snowballed from Tansy’s initial idea of a display for her garden wall.
Now she is turning her thoughts to the next wool art installation to celebrate the 80th anniversary of VE Day, when Germany surrendered unconditionally on Tuesday, May 8,1945.
“We are thrilled that Tansy and her group of fellow knitters in France are producing the VE Day display just for us and it will take pride of place as our exhibition for 2025,” said Wonderwool Wales director Chrissie Menzies.
“I am certain that the exhibition will attract a lot of interest here in Wales and across the UK. It’s exciting to have this work made exclusively for our 2025 sho2 and I can’t wait to see their work.”
An award-winning two-day event, Wonderwool Wales celebrates all that’s great about Welsh wool and natural fibres, attracting around 6,000 visitors from across the UK and as far away as America, Canada and Australia.
Woolschool workshops, Sheep Walk fashion shows, demonstrations and have-a-go sessions hosted by some of more than 200 exhibitors are regular features of the popular event.
Already booked for Woolschool workshops in 2025 are Moebius Knitting with Kath Andrews, Andean Pebble Weave using a back strap loom with Helen Deighan and An Introduction to Indian Block Printing, Art Yarns – Corespinning with Sarah Stacey, a Wonderwool Wales director,
Other workshops include Dorset Buttons and Peg Loom Weaving with Sharon Smith of Wild Welsh Wool, Bringing Eyes to Life in needle felting with Emma Fountain, Beaded Keyrings with Rosie of Moon Beads while Ruth Packham will be showing students how to felt one of her Quirky Birds.
Tickets for the show and the Woolschools are now available online at www.wonderwoolwales.co.uk . For the latest news about the show, like Wonderwool Wales Ltd on Facebook or follow on Instagram @wonderwoolwales .
Wonderwool Wales covers everything from the start to the end of the creative process. Exhibits of sheep, raw and hand dyed fibres, yarn for knitting and crochet, embellishments, equipment, dyes and books can be found alongside superb examples of finished textile art, craft, clothing and home furnishings.
