“Knitting and Crafts Social Saturday: a cosy afternoon to knit, sew, fix, and chat about the translation of crafts and hobbies.”
What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon? As soon as I saw the details of the event hosted by my neighbouring ITI network the NWTN, I bought my ticket and put the date in my diary. The location was the YHA at Potato Wharf in Manchester, by the side of the Bridgewater Canal in the Castlefield area; the industrial and Roman heart of the city. The afternoon was divided into two sessions with a refreshment break in between so, after a chance to chat to other participants and admire some of their crafting projects on display, we dived straight in.
Anne de Freyman explained how she, as a translator specialising in international development and international affairs, came to be translating the Vogue Knitting book from English to French. She then discussed the specific challenges involved in the project, as well as the strategies that she and her fellow knitting translator adopted to overcome them. Rounding off the session, she showed us a selection of her knitting creations and the patterns and books in her collection, then tested our knitting knowledge with a quiz (from “yarn barf” and “toad” to “otn”, crafting has a language all of its own!).
After a refreshment break (two flights of stairs down and back up again to get the blood pumping!), the second session was a chance to chat, share our projects, admire each other’s work, try out a new craft and explore the patterns and books that Anne had brought with her. Some participants had visited a local yarn shop on their way to the event, so their purchases were admired (and coveted) and the relaxed and convivial atmosphere meant that we were all surprised when Laurence announced the end of the event.
A huge thank-you to the NWTN for organising such a wonderful afternoon and to everyone who attended and brought their work to display.
Kerry Gilchrist (MITI)
