I’ll Never Forget That Fucking Itchy Hat

Hand-knitted sculptural installation

I’ll Never Forget That Fucking Itchy Hat in Horizon Sprawl at Ormston House, curated by Stéphanie Bertrand in 2012.

I’ll Never Forget That Fucking Itchy Hat

I’ll Never Forget That Fucking Itchy Hat is a large-scale, hand-knitted sculpture that recalls the homespun clothing of childhood and a time when sewing and knitting were part of everyday domestic life.

The work emerged from recollection, drawing on childhood memories of handmade clothing and the labour involved in making garments meant to provide warmth, durability, and longevity. It is a personal, playful reflection on family life, domestic making, and the changing relationship between making and consumption.

The 2014 installation image from the Leitrim Sculpture Centre shows the scale of the hand-knitted sculpture.

Childhood and Memory

The work recalls the handmade clothing Graham's mother made, when sewing machines and knitting needles were part of everyday life.

‍ The coarse, hard-wearing pure wool used to make these garments provided warmth and longevity but could also be painfully itchy. The title directly recalls this physical experience, fondly transforming a familiar childhood discomfort into humour and sculpture.

The work begins with a personal memory but opens onto a broader experience of childhood, family and home.

The 2014 installation image from the Leitrim Sculpture Centre shows the texture of the hand-knitted sculpture and its rib, which is 4ft long and doubled over.

Making and Labour.

At the heart of the work is the act of making.

‍ ‍ I’ll Never Forget That Fucking Itchy Hat pays tribute to the laborious, industrious, and incessant production of handmade clothing, acknowledging the time, skill, and attention invested in garments made at home.

The sculpture is a monument honouring the generations dedicated to this intimate domestic activity.

The 2011 installation image from the National College of Art and Design’s exhibition space captures the scale of the hand-knitted sculpture against the partition walls.

Before Mass Consumption.

The work also reflects on a time before consumer culture, mass consumption and online shopping.

Handmade clothing was lovingly crafted to last, passed down, and incorporated into family life. The work recalls this culture of making and hand-me-down clothing while recognising the changing relationship between domestic production and consumption.

The oversized knitted form transforms this recollection into a visually arresting sculptural installation.

The Itchy Hat

The work's humour lies partly in its scale and partly in its title.

A familiar childhood garment becomes enormous: an instantly recognisable form transformed into a sculpture that is both playful and imposing.

The title recalls the physical sensation of coarse wool against the skin and the particular memory of being made to wear something warm, durable—and unbearably itchy.

The 2014 installation image from the Leitrim Sculpture Centre shows the bobble and knitting that make up the hand-knitted sculpture.

From Personal Memory to Shared Experience

Although the work originates in personal recollection, it invites viewers to bring their own memories to the sculpture.

The recognisable language of hand-knitted clothing, family life and childhood allows the work to move beyond autobiography. It invites viewers to recall domestic histories, handmade garments, and the people who made them.

The work engages memory through humour, material and scale, connecting an individual childhood experience with a broader cultural memory of home life and making.