A wedding in wool

  • By Julie Muhlstein Herald Columnist
  • Sunday, April 24, 2011 12:01am
  • Local News

The Archbishop of Canterbury’s head went missing. And for a time, it looked like Prince William of Wales might turn out to be shorter than his bride.

Fear not, royal wedding enthusiasts.

They’re all in their places — William and Kate, Charles and Camilla, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince

Philip, carrot-topped Prince Harry, even the queen’s corgis — all dressed, coiffed and ready for Friday’s ceremony.

Knitters who work at the Everett Public Library have been toiling as feverishly as the designer putting last-minute touches on Catherine Middleton’s gown must be. The library workers, about a half-dozen of them, have finished the task outlined in a kooky book called, “Knit Your Own Royal Wedding.”

There are lots of dandy books aimed at readers seeking details of the nuptials set for Friday morning at London’s Westminster Abbey. “The Royal Wedding for Dummies” is the latest in a line of “Dummies” books. Anglophiles may prefer the lavish photography in “The Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton,” from Life Books.

And what if you simply must have doll-sized knitted figures representing the royal wedding party?

In “Knit Your Own Royal Wedding,” a paperback from Ivy Press, British author and knitting maven Fiona Goble has the answers — instructions, needle sizes, and a miniature backdrop of Westminster Abbey.

“I had royal family paper dolls back in the Charles and Diana days,” said Kim Payne, who works at the Everett library. “I bought the book, but I never thought I’d actually knit it.” Joan Blacker, display coordinator at the Everett library, calls Payne a “champion knitter” and “the brains behind the operation.”

When Payne read about a Midwest newspaper calling for knitters to create the royals, she decided to enlist the library’s knitters. Payne, Kathy Harrower, Chris Cooper, Darlene Tanis, Leslie Minor, Sue Combelic- Ghaley and Linda Stover crafted the figures. They’re on view near the check-out desk in the downtown Everett library, along with a display of books about the British royal family.

Stover, who works at the library’s Evergreen Branch, said the figures will make their way to the south Everett location this summer. Stover has entered her knitting in Evergreen State Fair competitions for 20 years, and plans to enter the dolls into the fair as a group project.

Knitting and embellishing the dolls took about three weeks.

“We have laughed so hard. We figure since our project is complete, the global excitement about the wedding will start to build,” Cooper quipped.

Library worker Jennifer Hughes isn’t a knitter. Still, she enjoyed watching her colleagues fingers’ fly as they knitted their way through lunch hours. Hughes remembered starting her job at the library the week that Princess Diana died in a car crash in 1997.

Payne said the dolls took at least 10 hours each to make. Knitters faced a few challenges before their dolls could be decorated with sequins, faux jewelry and military medals.

“My dog stole the archbishop’s head,” Combelic-Ghaley said. She was able to fetch the head back from Britta, her German shepherd who thought it was a new toy, before attaching the cleric’s miter.

Of the group, Tanis knits the tightest stitches. She had the important job of making Prince William, which led to worries that the king-to-be could end up about as tall as his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. “Luckily, William came out taller than Kate,” Payne said. Art, then, imitates life. Middleton is 5 feet 10 inches tall, while her prince is a lanky 6-foot-3.

Payne had the honor of knitting the bride, adding a $2 tiara she found on eBay.

The women paid attention to every aspect of their dolls. “William is a little bald on top, and Camilla’s ring is really big,” Minor said. They’re also up on details, large and small, of that grand affair later this week across the Atlantic.

With a son William’s age, Cooper said she’s been “a royal watcher for decades.” As they knitted, she said, they talked about all that’s changed since Lady Diana Spencer walked down the aisle 30 years ago. William gets to marry his college girlfriend.

Forget winning the queen’s approval. Kate’s common touch pleases the library knitters.

“We thought it was nice she invited the butcher,” Payne said.

Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460, muhlstein@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Cassie Franklin, Mayor of Everett, delivers the annual state of the city address Thursday morning in the Edward D. Hansen Conference Center in Everett, Washington on March 31, 2022.  (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
At Everett mayor’s keynote speech: $35 entry, Boeing sponsorship

The city won’t make any money from the event, city spokesperson Simone Tarver said. Still, it’s part of a trend making open government advocates wary.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.