Did you know that the beautiful sandstone building where the Woolly Good Gathering is going to be held used to be a veterinary college?
William Dick founded the first veterinary school in Scotland in 1823, now considered to be one of the oldest in the world. It was originally located in Clyde Street in Edinburgh’s Georgian New Town but soon outgrew its premises. Therefore, The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies moved to Summerhall in 1916. Construction of the buildings began in 1913 but WW1 delayed its completion until 1923. The Vet School, which became part of the University of Edinburgh in 1951, remained at Summerhall until 2011 when again the School moved to larger premises at Easter Bush Campus to the south of Edinburgh.
In homage to this original use of the buildings, I have created a design to highlight some of the animals that have been and continue to be treated by the Vet School plus the well known resident animal of Edinburgh, the grey squirrel. You can find it in Princes Street Gardens, the Botanics Garden and even my own back garden so the squirrel’s inclusion was a must! Other animals featured include: sausage dogs; birds; Herdwick sheep; kittens; goats; and rabbits!
The design has been machine knit in undyed Jamieson’s of Shetland Spindrift wool. The outer water resistant oilskin fabric is a beautiful muted Hunter Brown tartan, and the lining is from Ginger Twist Studio, my local yarn & fabric shop.
The design will be available in my Medium and Large project bag sizes, and will be launched at the Woolly Good Gathering at Summerhall in Edinburgh on Friday 26th April 2024.
Further Reading