The Poetry Society recently unveiled its massive (43 ft by 28 ft) knit poem at London’s British Library. More than one thousand knitters and crocheters around the world contributed more than 1,200 12-inch squares, some blank, some with a block letter inside, to the project. The knitted poem was In My Craft or Sullen Art by Dylan Thomas.
Organizers said that a main goal of the project was exploring the connection between the crafts of knitting and poetry. Gwyneth Lewis, a participating poet, shared her thoughts on the connection.
I’ve always thought that the process of writing poems is much like knitting. If you hit a problem, like dropping a stitch, the problem is often a few lines or rows back. There’s a similar rhythmic repetition, which leads to a light trance in both, and I love the way that both are made out of ordinary, everyday time, often stolen in between more so-called important activities.
The Poetry Society’s web site has the complete, fascinating story behind the project, its participants and how it came to fruition. Also be sure to check out the Flickr set of pictures that shows participants working on the poem and helps give a better understanding of the full scale of the project. [via @LadyiesOfTheMap]
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