Knitted Bible

The Knitted Bible Visits Emmanuel

The Knitted Bible was started in 2008 by members of St Georges United Reform Church in Hartlepool. Their enthusiasm and imagination led them to completing 34 scenes from the bible with the help of friends from other Churches, school and local groups.
Each of the 33 scenes depicts a story from the Bible, starting with the Creation and some of the Old Testament stories then following the Life of Jesus: his birth, teaching, death and resurrection. Each scene has characters, animals and other items that are beautifully knitted really bringing the stories to life. The detail in each knitted figure and especially the smaller animals and items of food is amazing to see. There are also many handmade props such as tables, houses, an ark and even a cave.
The exhibition was opened on Tuesday 23 January by an evening with Bob Hartman who is an amazing story teller. He is renowned for his dynamic, energetic and interactive way of retelling the stories from the bible. This was a great evening and much enjoyed by all who attended.
Linked with the exhibition, Claire Gelder, the founder of the locally based 'Wool Couture' came to talk to us on 24 January about how she started her wool company and her visit to the Dragons Den TV programme. Originally inspired by giant knitting and crocheting, including arm-knitting, she also has designs for macramé and weaving. Her talk was very inspiring and we were impressed with her 'arm knitting' using a giant ball of wool.
During the exhibition we have had over 600 visitors of all ages, including adults, schools, Toddler Groups and Brownies. Many of the groups that use Emmanuel came in to admire the exhibition and there were also people who had seen it advertised and just popped in to have a look. It has been a great event and we hope that it has been a blessing to everyone who came along. We would like to thank everyone who has supported this. Also, a big thank you to all who helped with the organisation of events and the stewarding of the exhibition.