Building a Knitting Community

Knitting knowledge used to pass between women who met and knitted together. As that generation grew older, much of that exchange disappeared. I started building a community where knitters could find one another, ask questions and share what they make.

In my magazine series Knitting Through Young Eyes, I interviewed knitters under 30. Some had taught themselves from online videos, but finding other people their age who shared the craft was difficult. Several wanted friends to knit with and more experienced knitters they could turn to when they got stuck. One imagined a knitting event with games and prizes.

Those interviews led me to organise an evening for young knitters, with games and a contest where participants choose their favourite, in partnership with a yarn shop and a café. Beyond that event, I run a WhatsApp group of a few hundred knitters where members exchange advice and share projects. I also organise knitting challenges, Zoom gatherings and in-person meetups, and publish a weekly newsletter featuring knitters.