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Lynn Abrams discusses the University of Glasgow’s ‘Fleece to Fashion’ research team that engaged the staff and students’ hobby knitting community to craft the Commonwealth flags.

Image courtesy of interviewee. March 5, 2024

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This video video discusses the significance of knitting in Scotland, highlighting its cultural and economic impact. It emphasizes that knitting is a widespread practice, both as a leisure activity and as part of the manufacturing sector, where it ranks second to whiskey in terms of export value. The research project titled "Fleece to Fashion" aims to explore the history and economy of knitting in Scotland, focusing on creativity, authenticity, and sustainability within the industry.

Key themes include the importance of heritage and the challenges faced by the knitwear sector, such as labor shortages and the struggle to recruit skilled workers, particularly among younger generations. While there has been growth in small-scale knitting and entrepreneurial design, the industry is encountering a shortage of spinning facilities.

The project integrates contributions from the knitting community, emphasizing the value of both amateur and professional skills in understanding knitting's role in society. It recognizes the intertwining histories of hand and machine knitting, illustrating that both remain relevant in today's production processes. Future implications include the potential for comparative studies with other regions and the exploration of export market challenges.

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X-TIMESTAMP-MAP:LOCAL=00:00:00.000,MPEGTS=900000

00:00.455 --> 00:00.695
Knitting.

00:00.695 --> 00:02.975
Well, knitting is a ubiquitous practice, isn't it?

00:03.035 --> 00:06.695
Um, everyone knits knitting is, is, is,

00:06.715 --> 00:09.575
is actually a relatively easy, craft.

00:10.195 --> 00:12.855
Um, but it's also ubiquitous across Scotland.

00:13.515 --> 00:15.175
So it's undertaken at home.

00:15.715 --> 00:19.015
Um, it's undertaken for leisure practice, it's undertaken,

00:19.395 --> 00:23.095
also, as part of the,

00:24.675 --> 00:27.895
as part of the manufacturing sector, knitting is

00:28.635 --> 00:32.375
second only in importance, in terms of its value,

00:32.375 --> 00:34.375
particularly in exports to whiskey.

00:35.155 --> 00:38.375
And yet very few people would, would know that I think.

00:39.155 --> 00:43.135
Um, but the other reason we are interested in, in knitting

00:43.155 --> 00:44.535
as part of a much bigger project

00:44.565 --> 00:47.095
that we're undertaking called Fleece to Fashion,

00:47.275 --> 00:49.375
the economies and Cultures of Knitting in Scotland,

00:49.505 --> 00:51.615
which has been funded by the HRC.

00:52.595 --> 00:54.975
Um, the other reason we are really interested in looking at

00:55.135 --> 00:58.215
knitting is, the importance of the heritage

00:58.315 --> 01:00.855
or the history of knitted textiles in Scotland.

01:02.475 --> 01:05.735
So, many of the large,

01:06.975 --> 01:10.055
knit knitwear producing companies are really keen

01:10.055 --> 01:11.175
to draw on that heritage.

01:11.845 --> 01:16.095
They talk about the history of knitting and knitwear

01:16.195 --> 01:19.295
and knitwear production in their promotional videos.

01:20.035 --> 01:21.415
It helps their exports,

01:21.475 --> 01:23.615
it helps a tourist industry and so on.

01:24.075 --> 01:26.255
But actually, we know very little about that history.

01:26.875 --> 01:29.575
So our project has been really concerned with,

01:29.845 --> 01:33.895
with unpicking it in looking at the industry

01:34.315 --> 01:37.855
and the history of that industry right across Scotland,

01:38.505 --> 01:41.335
creativity, authenticity, and sustainability.

01:41.755 --> 01:45.175
Um, underpin, I think the, the, the big questions

01:45.175 --> 01:47.135
that we're asking about,

01:47.335 --> 01:48.775
knitwear production in Scotland,

01:48.795 --> 01:51.495
really from the late 18th century, right the way through

01:51.795 --> 01:52.935
to the present day.

01:54.875 --> 01:58.135
And these themes actually emerged from working

01:58.405 --> 02:01.775
with the knitwear community, with, with practitioners,

02:01.885 --> 02:03.935
with heritage professionals, those

02:03.955 --> 02:05.775
who curate knitwear in museums

02:05.775 --> 02:09.575
and collections with the industry, with wool sorters,

02:09.725 --> 02:12.375
with spinners, with designers and so on.

02:12.595 --> 02:15.095
So, you know, we didn't just make up these themes,

02:15.675 --> 02:16.935
off the top of our heads.

02:17.235 --> 02:19.095
Um, they're really important themes

02:19.355 --> 02:20.975
to the sector as a whole.

02:21.835 --> 02:26.695
So creativity refers to the complex relationships between,

02:27.395 --> 02:29.735
the materials often

02:30.255 --> 02:32.015
produced in Scotland, although not always.

02:33.115 --> 02:37.215
Um, the motifs and the styles that emerge in knitwear

02:37.755 --> 02:41.415
and also, the,

02:42.675 --> 02:44.855
the, the, sorry, the heritage of the industry.

02:45.435 --> 02:48.895
So, we've got materials, skills

02:49.115 --> 02:52.495
and design, which are really inherent in the production

02:52.495 --> 02:55.655
of Scottish knitwear, authentic Scottish knitwear.

02:56.355 --> 02:58.735
It implies an expectation of

02:59.475 --> 03:03.685
Quality materials, provenance,

03:04.605 --> 03:09.275
and yet, knitwear that is labeled,

03:09.815 --> 03:13.635
Scottish or scotch might well be made elsewhere.

03:14.015 --> 03:17.715
So we are interested in investigating what's authentic

03:18.255 --> 03:22.155
and why authenticity is a really important part of the value

03:22.375 --> 03:23.395
of Scottish knitwear.

03:23.655 --> 03:27.515
Sustainability really refers to not just the sustainability

03:27.535 --> 03:30.355
of wool as a product, of course.

03:30.675 --> 03:31.835
'cause actually quite a lot

03:31.835 --> 03:33.795
of knitwear is not made from wool these days.

03:33.865 --> 03:37.275
It's made from kir and a variety of other materials,

03:37.735 --> 03:40.235
but it also and more importantly, refers

03:40.235 --> 03:41.835
to the sustainability of the sector.

03:42.495 --> 03:44.475
So we're interested really in how

03:44.505 --> 03:46.995
that sector in Scotland has survived

03:48.615 --> 03:52.475
and to some extent has thrived, as a craft industry,

03:52.895 --> 03:55.515
really from the late 18th century when,

03:55.565 --> 03:59.035
small manufacturers were really making stockings,

03:59.135 --> 04:02.115
and then making underwear when it was a hosiery industry,

04:02.465 --> 04:05.195
then transitioning into an outerwear industry

04:05.615 --> 04:08.515
and then ending up where we are today with an industry

04:08.515 --> 04:09.755
that has global recognition,

04:09.775 --> 04:13.235
but actually is much smaller than, than

04:13.975 --> 04:16.235
as than it was earlier in the 20th century.

04:16.295 --> 04:18.435
So we are really interested in how

04:18.435 --> 04:22.395
that industry can be sustained, how it has been sustained,

04:22.395 --> 04:24.795
and what it is that contributes to that.

04:25.215 --> 04:27.355
We crafted this research project from the bottom

04:27.415 --> 04:28.595
up from the very beginning.

04:28.855 --> 04:33.675
We, we understood that basically we are academics.

04:34.255 --> 04:37.035
We understand how to do academic research.

04:37.655 --> 04:42.235
So as historians, we traditionally, will work

04:42.235 --> 04:46.635
with both printed records, written records that tend

04:46.635 --> 04:48.475
to be in archives and collections.

04:49.055 --> 04:50.955
We might work with material culture,

04:51.035 --> 04:52.835
particularly in a project like this.

04:53.015 --> 04:55.755
We work with, with material artifacts,

04:56.735 --> 04:58.235
and I'm an oral historian,

04:58.415 --> 05:01.555
so I'm also really experienced in interviewing people about

05:01.555 --> 05:02.875
their experiences of the past.

05:04.055 --> 05:08.275
But, we don't really have the skills,

05:08.855 --> 05:10.995
of the knitwear community actually.

05:11.395 --> 05:15.515
I mean, I can knit, but it was really important to begin

05:15.535 --> 05:20.435
to talk to that wider community, and, and to,

05:22.135 --> 05:24.515
and to really sort of draw on the skills

05:24.575 --> 05:26.315
and experience of that community.

05:27.455 --> 05:31.195
So that's where we started bringing together this wide range

05:31.495 --> 05:33.635
of, of stakeholders, if you like,

05:33.935 --> 05:35.715
in the net west sector across Scotland.

05:35.935 --> 05:39.955
So, as I said earlier, we work not just with people

05:40.095 --> 05:42.955
who were designers and makers and spinners and so on,

05:43.335 --> 05:45.195
but with industry representatives

05:45.295 --> 05:49.315
and also those people who curate our material culture.

05:50.815 --> 05:53.875
Um, and, and in doing that, we really understood

05:53.875 --> 05:55.875
that there was this massive well

05:56.175 --> 05:58.125
of experience and knowledge there.

05:58.825 --> 06:01.205
And actually, particularly amongst amateur knitters.

06:02.345 --> 06:05.685
The amateur knitting community has grown massively

06:06.265 --> 06:08.045
in the last couple of decades.

06:08.415 --> 06:10.525
There are huge number of people out there

06:10.625 --> 06:12.405
who are incredibly skilled

06:12.985 --> 06:16.925
and in fact incredibly knowledgeable about

06:17.585 --> 06:20.045
not just hand knitting, but machine knitting as well.

06:21.025 --> 06:23.965
And so when we started to think about how

06:24.225 --> 06:27.805
to craft this project, we wanted

06:27.805 --> 06:29.965
to include them at every step of the way.

06:31.305 --> 06:33.865
Um, we've run

06:34.985 --> 06:38.145
a major public engagement project as part of Flee

06:38.145 --> 06:40.305
to Fashion,

06:40.605 --> 06:45.265
and our community of knitters have been absolutely,

06:45.785 --> 06:47.545
critical to understanding

06:48.085 --> 06:50.305
and working on that public engagement project.

06:51.095 --> 06:53.705
Some of the things we've learned that might apply

06:53.725 --> 06:57.505
to industry or the industry actually have taught us over the

06:57.505 --> 07:01.185
last few years during, during undertaking this project is,

07:01.845 --> 07:03.505
is the quite fragile nature

07:03.725 --> 07:05.465
of the knitwear sector in this country.

07:06.605 --> 07:10.305
So Scottish knitwear has global recognition, you know,

07:10.305 --> 07:11.425
you just have to think of some

07:11.585 --> 07:14.745
of the really big names like Pringle, for instance,

07:14.955 --> 07:16.345
brain Mar in the past.

07:17.245 --> 07:21.145
Um, Johnston's, they have global recognition,

07:21.245 --> 07:23.665
and we all know kind of what, what they make.

07:23.725 --> 07:26.425
And we, we assume that this is, you know,

07:26.515 --> 07:27.825
maybe a smaller industry,

07:27.825 --> 07:30.865
but actually, a very successful industry.

07:30.925 --> 07:33.185
But it's an industry that's really,

07:33.605 --> 07:35.385
facing a, a number of challenges.

07:35.445 --> 07:38.625
And those challenges we've learned are particularly

07:38.965 --> 07:40.785
around labor and skill.

07:41.605 --> 07:44.265
So in the past, not that long ago,

07:45.255 --> 07:46.785
very large communities

07:47.085 --> 07:51.225
of people were working in large factories in the borders

07:51.285 --> 07:52.945
and actually in other parts of Scotland.

07:53.725 --> 07:56.785
Um, there was a huge reservoir of skill there, you know,

07:56.785 --> 07:59.705
in the borders in Glasgow, in,

07:59.725 --> 08:03.625
in the northeast producing knitwear, lots of it for export,

08:03.655 --> 08:06.225
lots of it for large departments, stores in this country

08:07.015 --> 08:08.825
that has pretty much disappeared.

08:08.885 --> 08:12.185
And now we have small concentrations of production.

08:12.845 --> 08:16.385
Um, and those, even in those areas that have,

08:17.185 --> 08:19.945
a long tradition of knitwear production are struggling

08:19.965 --> 08:22.545
to recruit workers, partly

08:22.545 --> 08:25.545
because, young people regard it as factory work

08:25.885 --> 08:29.425
and don't see their career in a knitwear factory.

08:30.125 --> 08:31.225
Um, and also

08:31.425 --> 08:33.065
'cause there are lots of other opportunities there.

08:33.565 --> 08:36.145
And also because we've learned that,

08:36.665 --> 08:39.905
training in knitwear technology, focuses

08:40.565 --> 08:42.945
in the main on fashion and design

08:43.125 --> 08:45.345
and not on the technology technological

08:45.365 --> 08:46.585
skills that are required.

08:47.325 --> 08:48.785
So that's one thing we've learned.

08:49.765 --> 08:52.825
And, and kind of on the other other side of things,

08:53.485 --> 08:56.645
you know, the, the rise in popularity of, of

08:57.175 --> 09:00.565
small scale entrepreneurial knitwear design,

09:00.715 --> 09:04.725
home knitting and so on, has, has led to,

09:05.405 --> 09:09.605
a real, a massive growth in yarn production, yarn dying,

09:10.505 --> 09:12.325
right across Scotland,

09:13.065 --> 09:15.125
but there's a massive shortage

09:15.225 --> 09:17.525
of spinning facilities in this country.

09:18.265 --> 09:22.205
Um, and so people are coming up against real challenges in

09:22.205 --> 09:26.245
terms of labor and also in terms of technological support.

09:26.925 --> 09:29.525
I think the implications of the larger project are really,

09:29.865 --> 09:34.725
in terms of bringing together our understanding about

09:35.245 --> 09:37.165
knitwear production across the piece.

09:38.265 --> 09:42.155
So, it's understanding that,

09:43.495 --> 09:45.545
that the history of home knitting, the history

09:45.545 --> 09:46.705
of hand knitting, the history

09:46.705 --> 09:50.025
of machine knitting in factories is part of the same story.

09:50.655 --> 09:52.585
It's really important for us to understand

09:52.585 --> 09:55.265
that if you walk into a knitwear factory today,

09:55.535 --> 09:59.825
what you'll find is some fantastic automated machines,

10:00.165 --> 10:01.905
but you will also find a lot

10:01.905 --> 10:04.185
of people working with their hands.

10:04.565 --> 10:06.305
So hand skills continue

10:06.305 --> 10:09.345
to be incredibly important in the knitwear factory.

10:10.445 --> 10:13.785
So those two elements are really important

10:13.845 --> 10:16.225
and will continue to be important going forward.

10:16.685 --> 10:19.105
So it's, I it's been really important for us, I think,

10:19.165 --> 10:23.865
to emphasize that, going forward there's

10:24.505 --> 10:26.955
clearly lots of implications for industry,

10:27.535 --> 10:30.315
but also I think we'd be really interested in

10:30.315 --> 10:31.475
working comparatively.

10:31.935 --> 10:33.435
So the Scottish sector is,

10:33.595 --> 10:36.795
Scottish industry is really important in Scotland, but,

10:37.055 --> 10:39.835
but you know, there are knitwear industries elsewhere.

10:39.885 --> 10:41.755
There are comparative studies

10:41.755 --> 10:43.635
that might be undertaken with Northern Europe.

10:44.045 --> 10:47.195
There might be more research undertaken into the export

10:47.195 --> 10:50.155
market and the challenges of that working with, you know,

10:50.155 --> 10:51.755
the far east and, and so on.

00:00 - Knitting. Well, knitting is a ubiquitous practice, isn't it? everyone knits knitting is, is, is, is actually a relatively easy, craft. but it's also ubiquitous across Scotland. So it's undertaken at home.

00:15 - it's undertaken for leisure practice, it's undertaken, also, as part of the, as part of the manufacturing sector, knitting is second only in importance, in terms of its value, particularly in exports to whiskey. And yet very few people would, would know that I think. but the other reason we are interested in, in knitting as part of a much bigger project that we're undertaking called Fleece to Fashion, the economies and Cultures of Knitting in Scotland,

00:49 - which has been funded by the HRC. the other reason we are really interested in looking at knitting is, the importance of the heritage or the history of knitted textiles in Scotland. So, many of the large, knit knitwear producing companies are really keen to draw on that heritage. They talk about the history of knitting and knitwear and knitwear production in their promotional videos. It helps their exports,

01:21 - it helps a tourist industry and so on. But actually, we know very little about that history. So our project has been really concerned with, with unpicking it in looking at the industry and the history of that industry right across Scotland, creativity, authenticity, and sustainability. underpin, I think the, the, the big questions that we're asking about, knitwear production in Scotland, really from the late 18th century, right the way through

01:51 - to the present day. And these themes actually emerged from working with the knitwear community, with, with practitioners, with heritage professionals, those who curate knitwear in museums and collections with the industry, with wool sorters, with spinners, with designers and so on. So, you know, we didn't just make up these themes, off the top of our heads. they're really important themes

02:19 - to the sector as a whole. So creativity refers to the complex relationships between, the materials often produced in Scotland, although not always. the motifs and the styles that emerge in knitwear and also, the, the, the, sorry, the heritage of the industry. So, we've got materials, skills and design, which are really inherent in the production of Scottish knitwear, authentic Scottish knitwear.

02:56 - It implies an expectation of Quality materials, provenance, and yet, knitwear that is labeled, Scottish or scotch might well be made elsewhere. So we are interested in investigating what's authentic and why authenticity is a really important part of the value of Scottish knitwear. Sustainability really refers to not just the sustainability of wool as a product, of course. 'cause actually quite a lot

03:31 - of knitwear is not made from wool these days. It's made from kir and a variety of other materials, but it also and more importantly, refers to the sustainability of the sector. So we're interested really in how that sector in Scotland has survived and to some extent has thrived, as a craft industry, really from the late 18th century when, small manufacturers were really making stockings, and then making underwear when it was a hosiery industry,

04:02 - then transitioning into an outerwear industry and then ending up where we are today with an industry that has global recognition, but actually is much smaller than, than as than it was earlier in the 20th century. So we are really interested in how that industry can be sustained, how it has been sustained, and what it is that contributes to that. We crafted this research project from the bottom up from the very beginning.

04:28 - We, we understood that basically we are academics. We understand how to do academic research. So as historians, we traditionally, will work with both printed records, written records that tend to be in archives and collections. We might work with material culture, particularly in a project like this. We work with, with material artifacts, and I'm an oral historian, so I'm also really experienced in interviewing people about

05:01 - their experiences of the past. But, we don't really have the skills, of the knitwear community actually. I mean, I can knit, but it was really important to begin to talk to that wider community, and, and to, and to really sort of draw on the skills and experience of that community. So that's where we started bringing together this wide range of, of stakeholders, if you like, in the net west sector across Scotland.

05:35 - So, as I said earlier, we work not just with people who were designers and makers and spinners and so on, but with industry representatives and also those people who curate our material culture. and, and in doing that, we really understood that there was this massive well of experience and knowledge there. And actually, particularly amongst amateur knitters. The amateur knitting community has grown massively in the last couple of decades.

06:08 - There are huge number of people out there who are incredibly skilled and in fact incredibly knowledgeable about not just hand knitting, but machine knitting as well. And so when we started to think about how to craft this project, we wanted to include them at every step of the way. we've run a major public engagement project as part of Flee to Fashion,

06:40 - and our community of knitters have been absolutely, critical to understanding and working on that public engagement project. Some of the things we've learned that might apply to industry or the industry actually have taught us over the last few years during, during undertaking this project is, is the quite fragile nature of the knitwear sector in this country. So Scottish knitwear has global recognition, you know, you just have to think of some

07:11 - of the really big names like Pringle, for instance, brain Mar in the past. Johnston's, they have global recognition, and we all know kind of what, what they make. And we, we assume that this is, you know, maybe a smaller industry, but actually, a very successful industry. But it's an industry that's really, facing a, a number of challenges. And those challenges we've learned are particularly

07:38 - around labor and skill. So in the past, not that long ago, very large communities of people were working in large factories in the borders and actually in other parts of Scotland. there was a huge reservoir of skill there, you know, in the borders in Glasgow, in, in the northeast producing knitwear, lots of it for export, lots of it for large departments, stores in this country that has pretty much disappeared.

08:08 - And now we have small concentrations of production. and those, even in those areas that have, a long tradition of knitwear production are struggling to recruit workers, partly because, young people regard it as factory work and don't see their career in a knitwear factory. and also 'cause there are lots of other opportunities there. And also because we've learned that, training in knitwear technology, focuses

08:40 - in the main on fashion and design and not on the technology technological skills that are required. So that's one thing we've learned. And, and kind of on the other other side of things, you know, the, the rise in popularity of, of small scale entrepreneurial knitwear design, home knitting and so on, has, has led to, a real, a massive growth in yarn production, yarn dying, right across Scotland,

09:13 - but there's a massive shortage of spinning facilities in this country. and so people are coming up against real challenges in terms of labor and also in terms of technological support. I think the implications of the larger project are really, in terms of bringing together our understanding about knitwear production across the piece. So, it's understanding that, that the history of home knitting, the history of hand knitting, the history

09:46 - of machine knitting in factories is part of the same story. It's really important for us to understand that if you walk into a knitwear factory today, what you'll find is some fantastic automated machines, but you will also find a lot of people working with their hands. So hand skills continue to be incredibly important in the knitwear factory. So those two elements are really important and will continue to be important going forward.

10:16 - So it's, I it's been really important for us, I think, to emphasize that, going forward there's clearly lots of implications for industry, but also I think we'd be really interested in working comparatively. So the Scottish sector is, Scottish industry is really important in Scotland, but, but you know, there are knitwear industries elsewhere. There are comparative studies that might be undertaken with Northern Europe.

10:44 - There might be more research undertaken into the export market and the challenges of that working with, you know, the far east and, and so on.

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