AN exhibition of contemporary textiles and knitting will be an added attraction for visitors to the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes next month (April).

The work of Ruth Lee – called ‘Let No Loop Down’ – will be on show from 5 April to 19 June and she will be giving talks and holding free, practical knitting workshops on various dates in between.

“The work is inspired by objects and artefacts with a sense of history, time and place, interpreting them in a contemporary context through textile-related techniques and processes,” she said.

“The use of multiple images – where each image is unique, yet similar – is an important part of my practice.

“Sources of inspiration included traditional knitting implements, Museum examples of darned and worn socks, associated knitting texts, stories and counting songs from the Yorkshire Dales and further a field.”

The workshops will be run on 25 April, 16 May and 18 June between 11am and 3.30pm and each will have a different focus, beginning with boas and scarves, moving onto gloves/wristbands/armlets and then to leg/footwear. The workshops can be tailored to suit all levels of knitting skills just so long as visitors can knit and purl, cast on and off, she said.

There will also be a chance to meet Ruth 5 April between 2pm and 5pm at the Museum, which is owned by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.

Museum manager Fiona Rosher said; “Alongside Ruth's work, we'll be featuring knitting sticks, all of which are unique in their design and decoration, together with knitted items from our collection. This is a chance to see artefacts from the Dales Countryside Museum reserve collection that are usually kept in store.”

For more information and to book a place on a workshop, please contact the Museum on 01969 666210 or by email on hawes@yorkshiredales.org.uk.