Stirling, the castle, and the tapestry project

UK Knit Camp was held in Stirling, Scotland, which is just north of, and pretty much equidistant between, Glasgow and Edinburgh. It's an old town steeped in history.

There are swans on the lake at the university, where the Knit Camp was held.

The castle itself sits on volcanic rock overlooking the area.

I spent a chunk of time there learning about the project to weave replicas of the Unicorn tapestry series now located in New York City, at The Cloisters (Metropolitan Museum of Art). I'll be writing a short article for Handwoven magazine including the answers to some of the questions I asked. Four of the seven tapestries have been completed. This is their temporary location within the castle; they will be hung in the palace, a portion of the castle that is being restored. (The information on the tapestries here is a little out of date, but gives an introduction to the work.)

Not far from Stirling is New Lanark, a World Heritage Site and location of a social experiment that took place concurrent with the industrial revolution to improve the quality of workers' lives.

This is part of one of the mill wheels at New Lanark.

 

Here's a view of part of the community (mostly workers' housing) in the valley, from the hill above it:

 

 

Comments

[Donna]

Did you read Tracy Chevalier's "The Lady and the Unicorn"? It's on my unread stack (metaphorically since it's really on my iPhone!)...

[Kristi aka FiberFool]

Those tapestries must be a sight to behold in person! Thanks for taking a bit of time to give us a glimpse :-)

[Kit]

They've finished four of the tapestries? When I was there (2003?), they only had one done. They must be working like maniacs. So cool you got to see these!

[Deborah Robson]

Donna, I haven't read that one yet. I meant to! Thanks for the reminder.

Kristi, they're amazing. The ones in NY are hung high up on the wall and are lit for conservation--i.e., not lit much at all. These are a whole different experience.

And yes, Kit, they've finished four and two more are well along. They weave steadily, daily. They started with only one (the lady), then got funding for the others.

[Alison]

Deb, I'd be grateful if you could let us know when the article will appear. I'm not a weaver so only tend to buy a copy when an article has crossover interest for me so knowing which issue to look for would make sure I didn't miss out on this.

[Deb Robson]

To the extent that I know, I will pass the information along. It will be a
short piece. I haven't written it yet, so it will be at least a short while
before it appears!