PHOTOGRAPHY: DANNY LAHART

Knitted Together 2

‘Meet and Greet’ at Kilkenny
Farmers Market

The Kilkenny Arts Office team were out and about on Thursday last, 30th September, for a ‘meet and greet’ at Kilkenny’s Farmers Market. Wrapping up the community art project entitled Knitted Together 2, knitters, crocheters and volunteers were on hand to showcase the finished pieces. Beautifully knitted and crocheted blankets were on display for all to enjoy and learn more about the meaning behind the art project.
The aim of the project was to foster community spirit and connection across the county, to mitigate against the effects of social isolation throughout the pandemic, whilst creating something beautiful to donate to local charities. Over 180 people took part in the Knitted Together 2 project across the summer months and created over 3,500 beautiful, intricate and carefully crafted woollen squares. The 70 completed blankets have been donated to local charity shops and are now available for sale to support Kilkenny’s charitable organisations, following a challenging year of closure.
The exquisite handmade blankets are available for purchase from:

The Jack and Jill Foundation, Friary Street
National Council for the Blind Ireland (NCBI), High Street and Castlecomer
The Samaritans, Kieran Street
Irish Cancer Society, Parliament Street
Enable Ireland, Kieran Street
St. Vincent de Paul (SVP), Butts Green

All of the funding will go towards the charities. Kilkenny Arts Office has carefully considered the gift-wrapping of each stunning cosy blanket, presented in a gorgeous eco-friendly bag and includes a colourful postcard inside explaining the meaning behind the Knitted Together project.
As autumn sets in and looking to the gifting season ahead the Arts Office hopes that people will consider these unique, handmade treasures as a present for a loved one or a gorgeous new adornment for their home.
Mary Butler, Kilkenny Arts Officer said,
“As an enthusiastic charity shop visitor myself, I hope lots of people will take this opportunity to discover the joy of charity shopping and the array of fabulous products they have available. People are in for a treat when they see the amazing blankets available for purchase, and of course a huge thank you to the individuals who joined us to knit and crochet throughout the summer to help such an array of worthy causes.’’

The Knitted Together 2 project is funded by Creative Ireland as part of its Age-Friendly Initiatives, the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland (DCCI) as part of the Government’s ‘Keep Well’ campaign and is supported by Age-Friendly and Healthy Ireland Kilkenny programmes. For more visit www.kilkennyartsoffice.ie