Two women described as “Britain’s naughtiest knitters” have defended their work after a local man complained that their naked figures were displayed in the window of a haberdashery and cafe in the town.
The figures, which were displayed at The Hive in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, include a policeman, a vicar, a Rastafarian, a bearded man and a woman, made from patterns in the book Nudinits: Bare-bottomed Fun from the Village of Woolly Bush by Sarah Simi.
But the display was censored by The Hive owner Mike Alford after a local woman complained, saying she didn’t want her grandchildren “looking at the genitals” as they passed by on their way to school.
The two weavers appeared in Lorraine this morning to defend their display and discuss how a campaign called Free the Hive Five has been organized to uncover the figures once again.
According to one of the weavers: “We decided that maybe we would put (the woven figures) in the window, just to have a little fun, really, and it got crazy.”
‘NAUGHTY KNITTERS’: The Hive’s showcase features five nude figures now known as the ‘Hive Five’.
Among the five ‘anatomically correct’ figures created by the ‘naughty weavers’ is this Morris dancer
The display was created to help raise funds for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Service, but was not appreciated by everyone.
As one of the weavers explained: ‘Well, we have one complaint, just one, and it just got stupid.
‘A lady didn’t like it. She said she couldn’t take her grandchildren to school past the window.
As a result, small signs were placed in front of the figures, prompting the Free the Hive Five campaign.
When describing how difficult it was to knit the dolls, one of the weavers explained that knitting was “easy”, but “moulding and shaping” was more complicated.
When asked if naked knitting is the future, they replied: ‘Yes. Let’s have some fun. Get it out there.’
Speaking before appearing on Lorraine, one of the knitters, Sandra Witcombe, who knitted the Man with the Beard, the Vicar and the Rastafari, said: “It was just a bit of fun, a bit of a laugh for the people of Shepton. They are actually quite difficult to make, they can take hours.
‘The private parts are easy, but the rest and construction can take a long time.
‘HIVE FIVE’: The figures now have their genitals covered with posters following a complaint from a local grandmother who did not want her grandchildren to see them.
According to the weavers, weaving the figures is the easiest, while shaping and filling them is more complicated.
The display was set up to raise money for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Service and raised around £100 in a single day.
‘All genitals have to be the same size, they have to be knitted according to the pattern so that they are all the same, no one feels inadequate.’
Meanwhile, The Hive owner Mike Alford told the BBC: “A couple of people who obviously use the route go to school and said it was inappropriate to be at the window going to school.”
‘We felt that, to some extent, it was unjustified.
“Say you went to Bath, to the Roman baths, there are more statues there, if you went on a school trip, they show more things than we do in our little window.”
Adding that the weavers had worked hard on the display, he explained that it was the first of the year and, while it caused a stir, it also raised “around £100 for the charity today with people trotting in.” .