Student’s woolly design supercharges Loch Ness Knit Fest

A local art student jumper-started Loch Ness Knit Festival by styling a winter-woolly bodykit for a Dickson’s of Inverness Kia Picanto.

Sharon Scobbie (43) from (Dingwall) - a 2nd year HND Contemporary Art Practice student at Inverness College UHI - teamed up with the local car dealer to bring some seasonal style to its forecourt during this week’s festivities.

The novel project has also given Sharon the opportunity to build on her studies by trialling knitting as an artistic medium.

Students, staff and visitors admired Sharon’s needlework at Inverness College UHI campus on Monday morning (26 September) before it set off to its next stop at Dickson’s Kia showroom at Carsegate Road. It will make further appearances across the city throughout the festival until 2 October.

Speaking of her project, Sharon said: “The Contemporary Art Practice course encourages us to explore creativity through different mediums, subjects and environments, so this project has to be amongst the most unusual I’ve completed so far! Knitting has become so popular recently – it’s fantastic that Inverness is hosting its very own festival. We wanted to join in with the fun!”

Alisdair Barnett, managing director at Dickson’s of Inverness, added: “We are always looking at new and interesting ways to support and interact with our local community and this idea originated when Sharon exhibited her work at Our Kia Dealership at Carsegate Road. A number of our customers commented on Sharon’s remote control car which sported a knitted cover, and joked how good it would be to see a life-sized version.

“Sharon’s hard work has resulted in an eye-catching and unique work of art which has already attracted a lot of attention and will be a real crowd pleaser for all who see it.”