Inga Ballantyne
Inga Ballantyne is a crafter based in and inspired by the North of Scotland. Inga has a passion for wool, as well as spinning, weaving and crochet. Working with wool gives her a sense of connection to her textile crafting heritage, particularly to her Orkney grannies who were keen knitters and crocheters.
Whilst she enjoys all sorts of wool projects, the spark of Inga’s creativity particularly comes to life with projects that others can engage with interactively, whether during their making or once displayed. Having worked in social needs schools for almost 20 years, she has a lot of experience in creating inspiring and accessible learning environments, which she often brings to her craft projects.
Inga believes that natural wool is a source of intrinsic comfort, and she is excited to explore the ways in which she can make its nurturing and restorative properties accessible to a wider audience.
Inga's Piece for Forgotten Fleece Tales
Inga has created a fully interactive installation called The Neuk. Named for the Scots word for "nook" or "corner", this is a restful space within the exhibition where visitors can fully surround themselves with wool. The Neuk takes the form of a woolly cave, which people can enter one at a time for a hands-on exploration of wool's varied forms and calming properties.
The Neuk was made using fleece from flocks local to Inga's North Scotland home, especially those which are already naturally felted, and cannot be used for traditional textiles. These would normally be considered waste by the farmers, but Inga has pieced it together using hand-spun yarn to create a soft, springy base that visitors are welcome to take their shoes off and enjoy. The sides of the tent incorporate a variety of traditional wool crafts, including felting, weaving, stitching and crochet, all utilising Inga's handspun yarn.