I’m a textile historian and maker with seven years experience working professionally in the field of textile crafts, and about thirty years experience of making them. I like investigating objects and am very inquisitive about the stories behind them. I research and write about textiles and haberdashery, and have a particular interest in the inter-war period, textiles for interiors and craft skills education. I can get awfully nerdy when researching textile techniques of the early 20th century.
I’m currently researching knitting in schools in the early 20th century and have previously written reviews and articles for PieceWork, Textile History, Take A Break, Simply Knitting magazine and knitonthenet amongst other publications. I’m also an ambassador for the Knitting Reference Library at Winchester School of Art.
I have an ongoing sock-art project called the Mrs Minivers, which goes on little exhibition tours every now and then and just to clarify, although I knit and exhibits art socks that nobody can wear, I do also design more practical garments and accessories sometimes too. You can see some of my latest patterns in the sidebar, or by visiting my Ravelry designer page.
After a stint in nursing, I went back to university in my mid twenties to study for a BA in Textile Art at Winchester School of Art and stayed on for an MA in Museums and Galleries, with a specialism on the History of Textiles and Dress from the Textile Conservation Centre, at the University of Southampton.
It was at Winchester that I found my love of working collaboratively when we held a group exhibition with work in pairs. This has gone from strength to strength with my latest collaboration across Twitter, #plateaknit, as part of the online performance group, @platea. If you’re interested in working in collaboration, do let me know via email at ingrid@ingridmurnane.com or alternatively via the contact form!
As well as all of the exciting stuff above, I also enjoy baking cakes, reading 1930s and ’40s novels, giggling at Tim Minchin, hula-hooping, listening to podcasts, spinning my own yarn and, of course knitting. Although not always at the same time.
I work , write and make things from my home, in a country village in Hampshire, in the south of England where I live with my lovely photographer chap (and soon to be husband), Giles and our two cats.
