New Experiences- Ruddington Knit Museum

 Having the opportunity to travel to the UK for a semester study has been such an amazing, liberating and eye-opening experience. Nottingham itself was not the loveliest places in the UK as it is really a shell of the industrial history that once boomed, it was a major player in the past knitting industry of the UK. What I found inspiring was the access to technology and industry experience in the knitting field that has become so difficult to find in Australia.

While reading the 'What's Nottingham' guide book I was intrigued to find that there was a frame knitters museum in Ruddington- a 30min bus ride from Nottingham's town centre. Off I went to discover a little gem. The museum was a working example of a frame knitters factory of Victorian times. 

What is there to see and do?

• A short introductory video
• Walk through the cottages to see how knitters' families lived in 1850 and 1900. Peep inside the cottages.
• Explore the outbuildings and washhouse.
• See the frameshop with the machines crowded together as they were originally. Look at the machines.
• Learn about Rev. William Lee who invented the first knitting machine in 1589
• Experience a demonstration of framework knitting
• Try your hand at knitting on a nineteenth-century sock machine
• See examples of the best of the knitters' art
• Visit our shop
• Enjoy a cup of tea

 The museum gives an amazing insight to how difficult things were in the 1800's-1900's, yet how much pride and care was taken to produce the goods and earn a measly living. Here I was also lucky enough to explore draws full of various knit samples of socks and stockings from this era, stockings were made here for Queen Victoria- fine silk stockings with the Royal emblem hand embroidered at the sides.

The pictures I have taken somewhat capture the development of technology through the main production period of this factory with working circular knitters (the oldest dating to late 1700's if I remember correctly, pictured left). These machines were either found on sight and saved, with the buildings, from demolition or donated by locals who's ancestors had been part of the very proud and local industry.

The next image (above) is of one of the first 'Frame knitting' machines at which a man would sit at for no less than 14 hours a day in a room with no carpet or rugs to help adsorb the sound, industrial deafness a definite at a very early age if blindness didn't get them first as they worked by candle light before dawn and after sunset (in winter the sun is very late to rise and very early to set). This machine was awe inspiring as you could see the makers marks on the leather strapping seat and within different parts of the machine. It really helped me to understand the progress of industrial knitting machines yet you could still really see the relationship and similarities between this machine and the Dubied machines that we worked on at NTU.

These pictures (above and below) really capture the essence of the work room and the conditions that the workers endured, I think the colours are fantastic and apart from identifying a very different time and working conditions the images are just beautiful in their rawness. I think I will always look back at this collection of images and feel inspired in knit.

The lighting of the workroom........

This is the first power knit machine for stockings, the image is not the clearest as the machine is in a case of perspex yet I feel it still really indicates the progression in the, by then, booming industry. The colours set on the machine are lovely also helping to capture the mood and fashions happening at the time of this development.

I couldn't resist this picture as this was a companion for me whilst wondering through the museum and homesickness was evident in these early stages of my journey (missing my baby, cat, more than my man) and the face on this little one just reminded me of my littlen when he is milking (pardon the pun) my emotional side for food or pats.

All in all this was such a fantastic day (the weather was still very mild for this time of year in England) that myself and my dutch buddy ventured out to Ruddington again a couple of weeks later just to re-immerse ourselves in the history of our chosen creative path.

Ruddington Frame Knitters Museum website- http://www.rfkm.org/