Day Tripper

The Knitting Map

by Mary Wilson

(CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

Every day during 2005, up to 20 people sat knitting in the crypt of St. Luke's Church overlooking the city of Cork, Ireland. Around them flowed a vast, ever-growing textile, marked by a seemingly endless number of colors and patterns. The number reflects Cork's weather, and the movements of its people during that year: Daily measurements of factors ranging from rainfall and temperature to car and pedestrian traffic were used to determine the color and stitch of the day.

"The Knitting Map" started thanks to the European Commission naming Cork as 2005's European Capital of Culture, an annual distinction aiming to bring E.U. citizens closer together. Commissioned by the city, the project attracted more than 2,500 knitters from 22 different countries, and the 30- by 90-square-foot finished installation speaks to the collective labor of its diverse makers. Still, given that its yarns come from a country known for its hand-knit sweaters (and the weather necessitating their wear), the piece retains a distinctly local feel. Now the map may be viewed on our side of the ocean, providing an intimate, if abstract, peek into a year in the life of an Irish city.

Runs through May 18, Helen A. Ganser Library, Millersville University, 1 N. George St., Millersville, 717-871-2194, www.knitting.ie