Karen and Kirstie

I think I first met Karen Finch in 1975 when she invited the Costume Society into Hampton Palace to her recently moved Textile Conservation Centre.

She was conserving a Grenadier cap and I was the only member who recognised what it was. We struck up a friendship, it was so easy with Karen as we shared a practical interest in spinning, weaving, wool and knitting, a neglected subject.

I remember her beautiful house in Ealing, draped with perfectly woven rugs and hangings, and I was lucky to drive her to relevant meetings and exhibitions of textile interest, notably a journey to Reading for a day of dyes and the V&A’s exhibition displaying Tipu’s Sultan’s tent – there was so much to learn, compare and amuse us on these journeys. She was helpful with advice when I tackled the lengthy problem of conserving and researching the pre-Reformation vestment hanging in our village church (‘The Skenfrith Cope and its companions’ ).

Karen with Kirstie Buckland in Walthamstow, 2008

In 1993 we were both present as the inaugural meeting of The Early Knitting History Group (EKHG) when a few enthusiasts agreed to pursue research in the origins of European knitting. When the EKHG evolved into the Knitting History Forum in 2008, I immediately proposed her as Honorary President and was delighted that she was elected unanimously and filled the position for twelve years.

Birthday parties followed and happy visits to her family home in Walthamstow where her achievements are still celebrated.

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