In September 2025, members of the Greater Creative working party set off on a very special trip to Southwell Minster to see The Longest Yarn2 : A Thread Through Time.
The day began in style when we were picked up in a rather fancy minibus and with a bag of jelly babies making the rounds we knew it was going to be a great trip. The journey flew by, and before we knew it, we were approaching Southwell under a brilliant blue autumn sky.
The Minster itself was absolutely breathtaking and we couldn’t resist stopping for a few photos outside before heading in.
Inside, we were warmly welcomed by staff, made our donations, and joined the queue. There was a real sense of excitement among us, and the beauty of the Minster’s interior took our breath away, we had to take a few more snaps of the stained glass windows.
Then it was time to explore the 80 incredible panels of the Longest Yarn.
Each panel told its own story, created by a mixture of community groups and individuals from across the country, including WIs & knit and knatter groups. We were especially amazed to learn that some panels had been made entirely by one person.
The attention to detail was astonishing: smoke curling out of tiny chimneys, delicate feathers on seagulls, ladybirds hidden among the stitches, even moustaches and intricate hairstyles. We kept finding ourselves saying, “Look at this!” and it was impossible to choose a favourite.
Members of the WCA group were particularly taken with the train-themed panels, sparking conversations about creating something similar for Westhouses. We also began dreaming about what other local landmarks we might capture in yarn for our own community.
Although we had been told it would take about an hour to walk around the exhibition, we found ourselves so absorbed in the detail that after an hour and ten minutes we were still only at panel 60!
One of the most moving moments was learning the personal stories behind some of the pieces. A highlight was reading about one organiser’s grandfather, who had served in the navy. His uniform had been lovingly recreated in yarn, and his story was quite something.
As we explored, it was lovely to share knowledge within the group. Some members recognised historic events and figures that others didn’t, and conversations flowed sharing knowledge and inviting curiosity.
“The Bevin Boys, who are they, what did they do?”
“I found that some of the displays had titles that were clear for those with prior knowledge while other required an understanding of the history to already be in place. I don’t know anything about the Bevin Boys and so for me this exhibit lost something in its story telling. I could see they were miners but had no backstory. Context is everything for real understanding. It was a really interesting opportunity to discuss how we present our own displays and the interpretation that we choose to place alongside it. If we don’t bring the younger generations along with the story we exclude them from it.” – Mel Perkins
After completing the trail of panels, we headed to the Refectory Café for a well-earned break. The cake portions were, in a word, enormous. Coffee and walnut and carrot cake were especially popular, and not a crumb was left on anyone’s plate.
Before boarding the bus home, a few of us enjoyed a wander through the gift shop and even indulged in a quick forage for conkers — a perfect little autumn souvenir of the day.
The journey back was filled with talk of inspiration. The Longest Yarn had sparked ideas, memories, and creative plans. We all agreed it had been an inspiring, uplifting, and thoroughly enjoyable day out, that will no doubt lead to new projects in the future.