Coloured jerseys are an important part of the Tour de France with riders eager to win one, especially the coveted yellow jersey which goes to the current overall race leader and helps the rider stand out in the crowd.
The Tour is coming through the Harrogate district on 5 and 6 July 2014 and coloured jerseys will feature as part of the pre-race celebrations.
To welcome the Tour, which is the world’s largest annual sporting event, Harrogate Borough Council’s Parks Team is asking knitters of all abilities to knit small jerseys which will be used as bunting across the district.
Le Tour de Bunting is being launched at the premier Knitting & Stitching Show taking place at the Harrogate International Centre 21-24 November.
Patrick Kilburn, the council’s Head of Parks and Open Spaces, says they hope to have 3000 jerseys knitted. He added:
Students at York University came up with the idea after we asked them to help us plan how we would dress the district for this important event. We liked the knitted bunting idea because it will get our local community participating and neatly makes the link with Yorkshire’s tradition of sheep farming and the wool trade. And how lucky were we to have the brilliant Knitting & Stitching Show in Harrogate which gives us a great local platform for the launch?
We don’t mind who knits the bunting from home or abroad. We know our European counterparts really have fun in setting the scene for the Tour and we want it to be just as exciting in our district.
Thanks to sponsorship from Baa Ram Ewe, Cygnet Yarns Limited and Thomas B Ramsden it has been possible to put together a pack including the pattern and enough wool for one person to knit four little jerseys. But anyone can join in by using their own wool and they can get the pattern and full details from www.harrogate.gov.uk/LeTourdeBunting
