Knitting collection all stitched up for new exhibition

Now, a new exhibition at the University of Southampton explores this ancient craft which is rediscovering its popularity. 'In the Loop: highlights of the Montse Stanley knitting collection' is now open to the public until Friday 13 June in the University of Southampton's Special Collections Gallery in the Hartley Library.

Montse Stanley (1942-1999) was a knitter, historian and collector, who created a private collection of knitted clothing and objects, and an extensive library on knitting. Her collection is now held by the University of Southampton, divided between the Library's Special Collections and Winchester School of Art (WSA).

Knitting patterns, knitted objects including toys, purses and items of clothing, knitting tools and rare postcards combine to paint a fascinating picture of the craft of knitting over 200 years from about 1800 to the present day.

Based around five themes, including the development of knitting patterns; postcards and knitting tools, and beads, bags and purses, the exhibition reveals the treasures of Montse Stanley's collection and explores hand knitting and knitters within a cultural and social history of those 200 years.

Knitting patterns on display include one for a daring knitted 'Bloomer suit' printed in 'The Household Friend: a magazine', dated December 1851. There is also a 1960s Patons pattern leaflet for a mini-dress designed by Mary Quant and an official booklet of instructions sold by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War to encourage knitting for their servicemen and women. Its clever use of entertaining and glamorised images made knitting seem enjoyable as well as patriotic.

An intricate black lace cotton mantilla, a traditional and distinctive Spanish woman's headcovering from Montse Stanley's native Barcelona dating from the mid-19th century, contrasts with two simply knitted, dressed toy elephants which probably represent the characters Arthur and Flora, from the well-known children's books about Babar the elephant by Jean de Brunhoff.

The collection includes hundreds of postcards which depict aspects of knitting worldwide. A French card posted by a serving British soldier from a field post office in France on 17 July 1916 bears the message: Je m'applique à bien tricoter les objets qu'on va t'envoyer (I'm working hard at knitting the things to be sent to you'). As a form of propaganda, images of knitting conjured up thoughts of home and family and in both World Wars, women and children were encouraged to knit small garments such as socks and mufflers for the armed forces.

There are a number of purses and small bags on show. In the 1800s these items were a common form of gift in their own right or as containers for gifts of money. Many were made as mementos of public events, such as military victories, or were bought as souvenirs. One of the items on show is a long purse - also known as a stocking or miser's purse - knitted in the mid-1800s. Made of red and fawn silk and coloured glass beads, one to each stitch, the pattern forms flowers, stems, leaves and geometric shapes and looped tassels of pink glass beads.

Linda Newington, Head Librarian at Winchester School of Art, says: "As an internationally-admired exponent of knitting, Montse Stanley valued objects as a vital means of instructing and inspiring present and future knitters and designers. This collection is a specialist legacy for them and future generations of students, scholars and enthusiasts, forming a kind of 'stitch bank', something like an herbarium or seed bank. I hope the exhibition will encourage makers, designers and scholars from a variety of disciplines to explore it further."

Barbara Burman, the dress and textile historian who has co-curated the exhibition, adds: "This collection of knitted objects is impressive in both range and richness, offering an interesting and varied picture of many aspects of knitting. It also shows the remarkable range of form, style and function that knitting achieved in over 200 years."

Professor Chris Woolgar, Head of Special Collections, explains: "Many museums preserve varied examples of knitted objects within their collections, but the Montse Stanley collection is distinctive in uniting objects, printed matter and ephemera to relate a fuller history of hand knitting."

The exhibition is on display in the Special Collections Gallery on level 4 of the Hartley Library on the University's Highfield campus until Friday 13 June. It is open every day Monday to Friday from 10am until 4pm and entry is free. There will be a second chance to see the exhibition between Monday 14 July and Friday 25 July to coincide with the international knitting conference at Winchester School of Art.

The Montse Stanley knitting collection forms part of the University's Knitting Reference Library. The Reference Library is the focus of a three-day international, interdisciplinary conference 'In the loop: knitting past, present and future' in July 2008, which the exhibition accompanies. The Library is held at WSA, where it is regularly updated with books, exhibition catalogues and knitting patterns.