Anyone for crochet?

Who does that giant paw belong to?

 

 

It belongs to one of three gigantic hand crocheted lions.

 

 

Aren't they fantastic?

These beautiful lions are the largest single-handed crochet sculpture in the World, and are currently welcoming visitors at the entrance to Twycross Zoo, which is where I saw them over the Easter Holidays.

 



 

This is called The Lionheart Project and is the creation of Shauna Richardson.

 

As part of London 2012's Cultural Olympiad, artists across the UK were challenged to submit ideas that celebrated their region.  Shauna submitted this project to symbolise the textile heritage of the East Midlands.  Apparently it took Shauna 2 years to hand-crochet these immense beasts.  She used 36 miles of yarn, from the wool of 150 Derbyshire Dales sheep.

 

Prior to the opening of the London Olympic Games, the project toured the East Midlands, staying in major towns before travelling to The Natural History Museum in London.  As you can see they are now back in the East Midlands, and where could be more fitting for three lions to reside than Twycross Zoo.

 

I'm not sure that my very poor photographs provide you with a true sense of scale.  What if I told you that the lions are housed in a custom built exhibition case, which is 16 metres long.  They really are big!

 

To check out much, much better photos than mine, of the lions in some beauty settings, including Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, please follow this link.

 

You can read more about Shauna here, and about The Lionheart Project here.

 

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