Crocheting her way across God’s own county

Arts co-ordinator, Cassandra Kilbride, is taking her woolly bike on a five month tour of the region, to knit everything that makes Yorkshire brilliant.

Her woolly idea is part of the 100-day Yorkshire Festival, a cultural celebration in the run-up to the Tour De France in July.

Mrs Kilbride came up with the idea after she led community project ‘Flock to Ossett’ in 2012, which encouraged people to knit, crochet and cover the town in their work.

She said: “It was a happy coincidence that one of the things we made was a bike, so that gave me the idea for the Woolly Bike Tour.”

The woolly trail has 10 different themes and will work its way to 10 places across Yorkshire, beginning with workshops here in Wakefield as part of the Food, Drink and Rhubarb Festival.

Liquorice, rhubarb, real ale and Yorkshire puddings will al be knitted as part of Wakefield’s theme of ‘food made famous by Yorkshire’.

The first ‘Yummy Yorkshire’ Wakefield workshop took place yesterday and another two sessions will run tomorrow at the Create Cafe, Wakefield One, at 10:30am until 1pm and 1pm until 3:30pm.

Themes elsewhere are Yorkshire’s flat caps and whippets, diversity, history, the white rose, literature, industrial heritage, sporting heritage, coastal resorts and countryside.

All the knitted works will go on display at a Woolly Bike Exhibition at Sheffield Cathedral in July.

Mrs Kilbride said: “I like to take people who have a hobby and turn them into artists. The work they will create will be exhibited at Sheffield Cathedral, I think that is pretty inspiring.

“Anyone who wants to be part of the tour will have to have a basic ability to crochet or knit and book a place on one of the workshops.”

For more information or to book a place on the workshops, visit www.yorkshireswoollybikes.co.uk.