Knit an Elvis Presley wig to pay homage to The King

The 27th anniversary of Elvis’s death is Aug. 16. That gives knitters plenty of time to pay tribute to The King. I’m hoping that a few By Hand readers will knit Elvis wigs, using a free pattern on the Internet. It’s not a pattern for the faint of heart, so consider this a knitting challenge. But let me warn you beforehand, I’m not about to tackle it.

Those of you who do knit an Elvis wig, please send photos to prove it. I can’t promise any reward except your own fine sense of accomplishment at employing your knitting needles in service to humor, art and The King.

The possibilities inherent in knitting an Elvis wig strike me as considerable. How about an Elvis wig in black fun fur, or orange mohair or Regia, the sock yarn that makes its own Fair Isle pattern? Or yarn threaded with sequins? I think The King might really approve of such sparkle and dazzle. After all, he was a man who glittered and shone, musically as well as fashionably.

I’m not what you would call an Internet devotee, but every so often when I am trolling the Web in search of needlework news, I get snared in a site that amuses me completely. And so it was when I visited The Shed at www.theshed.co.uk.

The Shed, located in the village of Brawby, Yorkshire, England, bills itself as the “smallest show on earth.” It is, according to Web site information, a poetry and music venue where one may be entertained by modern jazz, blues, folk, country, classical, world and improvised music, poetry – and knitting. All the action takes place in a 22-by-26-foot room large enough for an audience of 70.

The Shed is the product of the “woolly thinking” of Simon Thackery, a BBC Radio 4 host.

One of the novel things one may experience at The Shed is “Hat,” a performance piece composed of legends about wool and knitting, which features a musician on viola and knitting needles. At its first performance in November 2001, a preconcert knitting class, with free wool and needles, was conducted. It was sponsored by Sirdar, the UK’s largest commercial spinner of yarns, which also designed the Elvis wig pattern.

It was Thackery who came up with the knitted Elvis wig idea to coincide with “the world’s first North Yorkshire Elvis Tour,” organized by The Shed.

The Shed Web site also offers Ian McMillan’s “Wool in History,” a list of rewritten snippets of history. Talk about deconstructing history – this is historical unraveling, pure and simple. For example, “‘Watch out for the woolberg!'” cried the captain of the Titanic.” Or, “Henry VIII knitted wives seven and eight. It gave him a feeling of power.” There are 23 more such “spun and felted” factoids on the list and if reading them doesn’t bolster your faith in the idea that one really can knit a better, more pleasing world, nothing ever will.

Snippets

Jen Wood of the Washington County Children’s Program reports that one of the grandparents of a child who attends the program’s preschool knit hats and mittens for the 10 children in the program. As a result, interest in knitting began to heat up. Jane Weil, founder of the program and longtime knitter, decided to teach the children’s moms, who attend a weekly support group, how to knit.

“Now,” she wrote, “as we share the daily challenges of the needs of our children, we knit and talk.”

Those interested in assisting the knitting sessions with yarn donations and expertise, should call Wood at 255-3426.

Stetson area knitters may want to take advantage of two hours of knitting time 6-8 p.m. the fourth Tuesday of each month at Stetson Public Library. The library is sponsoring the time to encourage knitters to make hats, sweaters, booties and blankets for premature babies.

Anne Rose of Jackman is seeking a pattern for an Aran Isle sweater with a zipper front that was published in 1974 or 1975 in either Woman’s Day or Family Circle sweater pattern magazine. Call her at 668-9249.

Ardeana Hamlin welcomes comments, suggestions and ideas. Call her at 990-8153, or e-mail ahamlin@bangordailynews.net.