Society Grolse Mittens
Since 2005 the gentlemen of the Sociëteit Grolse Mittens have been committed to keeping the Grolse mittens in the streets. They made a pattern booklet to knit the Grolse mittens, also described the history and background of knitting the Grolse mittens. They also successfully made a call to recruit new knitters. By giving courses, an attempt is made to encourage new knitters to continue this form of intangible cultural heritage.
Grolse wanten breisters die verbonden zijn aan de Sociëteit Grolse Wanten. Niet alle breisters konden aanwezig zijn.
Exhibition
In 2017, the Sociëteit made a safeguarding plan and added the Grolse mittens knitting to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Inventory of the Netherlands. One of the safeguarding activities mentioned was the realization of a permanent exhibition. This can now be seen in the Stadsboerderij. There are many variations on the traditional Grolse mittens, such as hats, scarves, egg warmers, caps and sweaters. There are also boards with information about knitting the Grolse mittens over the years.
Insurance plans
The gentlemen of the Society do not sit still. The next safeguarding activity is filming the knitting process. The film will be added to the exhibition in the future. Furthermore, a lot of work is being done to promote the Grolse want. Among other things, options are being explored to make the pattern in the street scene of Groenlo visible, in collaboration with the Tourist Office.