WINNING entries in Ulverston's inaugural scarf festival were on display this week in a line-up to warm the heart of anyone feeling a seasonal chill, reports Jennie Dennett.

Fluffy, stripy and snugly neck warmers had been knitted, knotted and purled as part of the event to mark National Knitting Week, which came to a close on Sunday.

The champion of champion prize in the festival organised by Ulverston wool emporium, Spinning a Yarn, went to spinning expert Liz Goyder, of Lowick. Ms Goyder had not only knitted a tactile little red number but had dyed and spun her Wensleydale wool first.

Meanwhile, in the comedy category, Boo Coomben, of Flookburgh, reigned supreme with her pun-tastic entry, Sick Parrot - a tiny yellow scarf to be worn by any bird feeling poorly as the proverbial.

She also won the prize for the most poetic neckwear for Solar Scarf a black creation complete with images of Saturn, Mars and the Milky Way.

To avoid any suggestion the competition could be a stitch-up, entries were judged by an array of local businesses which each sponsored a category, including Two by Two, The Bookshop, Pet Supplies and Blockbuster.

Proceeds from the scarf festival entry fees and a Spinning a Yarn coffee morning have bought four goats for the Farm Africa Appeal, which helps families in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa become more self-sufficient.

"We had 14 entries this year, which isn't bad for the first festival, and we hope to have more next year," said Spinning a Yarn's owner, Irene Cooper.

The festival should get a boost from the growing popularity of knitting. The revival is partly thanks to an American craze for Stitch and Bitch' knitting clubs.

"It's huge in America and, when things are huge there, they tend to spread around the world," said Ms Cooper.

"People are taking it up almost as therapy to relieve stress."

l Other scarf festival winners. Trendiest: S. Lacey. Most imaginative: S. Cardew. Most spectacular: V. Johnstone. Most huggable: A. Collar. Most traditional: M. Daniels.

l TOP KNITTERS: Boo Combden (left), one of the winners of the Ulverston Scarf Festival pictured with Irene Cooper from Spinning a Yarn on Market Street.