Ripping yarns as show chiefs turn out to be real knitwits

With little over a week to go until Countryside Live, the organisers took a brief break from their preparations to try their hand at a hobby that’s sweeping Hollywood and being showcased at the event – knitting.

By The Newsroom

Published 13th Oct 2011, 07:00 BST

Countryside Live takes place over the weekend of October 22 and 23 at the Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate, and the Country Crafts Experience is expected to be among the highlights.

Members of the Women’s Institute will be showing visitors how to knit, following in the footsteps of actresses Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz who recently revealed their love of the pastime.

WI member Lesley Fidler took chief executive Nigel Pulling and show director Bill Cowling through a lesson in the craft.

“I learned to knit before I went to school. My mother taught me as I was quite a fidgety child and it helped me concentrate and sit still,” said Ms Fidler.

“It is a very creative hobby – I especially love the technical challenges of making a particular shape or following a particular pattern.”

Countryside Live is the sister event of the Great Yorkshire Show, England’s premier agricultural event, and last year attracted 10,221 visitors.

Hollywood Great Yorkshire Showground