Gifted Stitches A Future Plan For Wicklow's World-Record Knitted Map

The woolly map of Ireland will be on show at the Craft and Design Fair at the RDS this wekend.

The Creative Crafters of Carnew have reason to celebrate! Their world-record-breaking knitted map of Ireland has a custodian. It's heading to the Craft and Design Fair at the RDS. 

Nineteen Wicklow women spent six years creating the breathtaking work of art.  The stunning woolly diorama was confirmed by Guinness World Records in September as the largest knitted diorama on Earth.

The incredible piece that measures over 170 square feet faced an uncertain future with no permanent home.

Gifted has agreed to preserve the artwork and loan it out to galleries and community groups nationwide.

Patrick O’Sullivan, organiser of Gifted says:

We were conscious that the group was trying to find a permanent home for it, but with no success. It was going to be packed up and stored away in boxes, which would have been a shame. We believe that this particular diorama is so large and so detailed that it is of cultural significance to the country. It represents the island of Ireland in a snapshot of time and will, in time, be of historical importance. We are delighted to become the custodians of the map and not only put it on display at Gifted, but also to facilitate other cultural institutions who may wish to take it on loan, at no cost. 

Knitter and Creative Crafters spokeswoman Liz Butler, admits it's ‘very emotional’ to see the map being so highly valued saying:

We didn’t do it for recognition, we just did it as a challenge. Sadly, not all of the women lived to see the project completed, but their effort and legacy remains.

The group based its creation on animated tourist maps depicting key attractions around Ireland.

We knew it was going to be big so we decided to put it together like a puzzle, we did the four provinces and instinctively knew that we needed to have iconic landmarks in there, such as Hook Head in Wexford.

We thought we’d have it on display for three weeks in the community centre and we’d pack it away, but it just grew legs; the Guinness world record was the icing on the cake.

The one of a kind map will be on display at the RDS until Sunday December 7th before it tours the country.