Craft Club was launched in late 2009 with a very successful pilot project at Lindens School in Sutton Coldfield

Click here to read about The Recycled Rainforest at Lindens School, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands

On this page we aim to bring you news and photos of new clubs all over the country. If you have a new knitting club, please send us details together with up to four images of your group knitting. Be sure to obtain permission from parents before sending in the photos. If you need any advice, help or volunteers, please get in touch and we will do our best to make it happen.

Clubs don't have to be in Primary Schools, we'd love to hear about any knitting groups where children are being taught to knit.

To email the website, click on the 'contact us' link in the menu above

Click here to post your group on the Craft Club map

Berkshire

South Hill Park’s Community Artist, Chantal Addley, has introduced, fun and exciting knitting to schools in the Bracknell area. Her workshops are purposefully flexible to include basic finger knitting which is easy for the youngest children, and knitting with an oversized French Dolly. The workshops culminate in a Big Knit, using people as pegs.  She works with children and young people of all ages and abilities. Chantal uses cut up garments knotted together to create yarn (and she themes this workshop around recycling and raises awareness of waste streams).  She also uses cling film filled with shiny paper to create shiny, soft sculptures. The photos above were taken during separate workshops with Slough & Eton College and Kennel Lane special school, to whom we are grateful for allowing us to take these photographs. Chantal Addley is available for workshops or talks about promoting knitting in schools.

Click here to contact Chantal

Derbyshire

Margaret set up a Craft Club in Sandiacre near Nottingham in October 2012:

"I am pleased to tell you that the Knitting Club that we started in October last year at Cloudside Junior School, Sandiacre, Derbyshire is flourishing.
The children are very enthusiastic and are now at the point of wanting to make things. I made progress cards for the children to go through eg Casting on and off, Knit and Purl increasing and decreasing, plus using knit and purl combinations. The cards have have hepled them to progress so that they get their "Gold Stars". Items being made at the moment are Fingure Puppets, Knitted Hearts, Soft Toys and Mats using French Knitting. I am so proud of the progress all the children have made in such a short time."

Click here to contact Margaret

Derbyshire

Update from Heather Reeve:

Debbie Abrahams Knitting With Lawn School Yarn Craft Club	Debbie Abrahams Knitting With Lawn School Yarn Craft Club

"On 26th June 2012, we had a visit from Debbie Abrahams to Lawn School Yarn Crafts Club! She talked of how she began knitting, her training in knitwear design and her career so far. Debbie brought many samples of her work getting the children to guess what had inspired each of the squares on her blankets and allowed them to handle each piece. Next they were taught to knit with beads using a ball of cotton and a packet of beads which Debbie brought for each child. Needless to say we had a fabulous time and the excitement continued at club the next day with enthusiasm to continue knitting the heart shape (in beads) begun the previous evening."

Heather Reeve attended one of the first volunteer training days in September 2010 and set up a Craft Club at Lawn Primary School, Allestree, Derby. We started in March 2011 and have some 40 odd children attending for 1/2 an hour on Wed lunchtimes. I have 8 soon to be 9 very loyal helpers including WI, mums, grans and fellow church members.

Click here to contact Heather

Derbyshire

Claire Hoey came to a Craft Club Training Day in Derby in September 2010. By the end of the month she had approached her local school, Bamford Primary School, Hope Valley, and had held

Learning to knit	Learning to knit	Knitted strips make a chain	Knitting used as skipping rope

Claire's updates:

November:

"Our knitted chain for the xmas tree is so long now that the children were skipping with it. One of the boys doing the sponsored knit who is doing finger knitting has already reached 10 metres!!! Can you believe it. I was on dinner duty today and I had a crowd of ALL boys sitting round me knitting!  
I cannot tell you how wonderful it is at craft club - and how much all the children and those of us helping are getting out of it."

October:

"I just wanted to let you know how our craft club is going. All the year 3's and year 4's are all now able to finger knit!!! This week I have moved onto the year 5's and 6's. But instead of finger knitting I thought we would try knitting with the needles you gave me. The project that we are doing is for all the children to knit a strip - if you imagine the strip of paper that you would use for making a paper chain - and then we are looping them all together to make a paper chain but knitted - sorry I made that sound really complicated but I hope you get the idea. We will then use it to decorate the school xmas tree. They are so excited about it. Just this afternoon we had 10 strips knitted. 
Next on my list is to do wet felting with the children. So we are going to do a sponsored finger knit, where the children get sponsored by the inch they finger knit to raise the funds for the wool roving to do the felting.  
Everyone is behind the project the teachers and the headmaster are being wonderful. Every week a group of extremely patient parents come and give up a whole afternoon to help. 
So once again please can you pass this on to everyone that helped at the course in Derby because wonderful things have already come from it".

September:

"I just thought I would drop you a note to say that we had our first craft club yesterday. The teachers at our school decided that they didn't want any of the children to miss out by doing it as an after school club so we are doing it on tuesday afternoons in lessons a few at a time so that everyone gets a go. I got 4 parent helpers and we taught 12 children to finger knit. They loved it. Even the boys that came in saying it was for girls - got so enthralled that they were SO quiet and then got really competitive about the length of their knitting! It was so much fun for all of us so we are doing another 12 next tuesday. Those that have learnt get a Knit 1 sticker and then those that get the hang of it and later go on and teach someone else to do it will get a Pass it On Sticker. One of the boys that came yesterday caught me this morning and said that he was trying to teach the lollipop lady on his way home last night.

Please pass on the news to the others. We really are having SO much fun."

Click here to contact Claire

Essex

Knitted Seascape

Becky Poynter runs a Craft Club at her local Primary School:

"Young Yeldham Yarnies" after school club which we run at St Andrew's Primary School, Great Yeldham, Essex. I've attached the latest picture of the first terms finished project - the seascape is about 4.5ft x 6ft and is primarily constucted from finger knitting and crochet, with pieces of conventional knitting thrown in! We were delighted with the first term's work - especially as the children were years 2 to 6 (but mainly from Key Stage 1) and none of them had knitted before. We have now moved on a "school banner" with a Noah's Arc theme, to be presented to the church and used at school services . In preparation for this we have been dying fleece and yarn, felt making, carding and attemtping drop-spinning - the kids love it!"

Click here to contact Becky

Gloucestershire

Kirsty Derson has just set up an afterschool knitting club at Stow on the Wold Primary School and a lunch time one at Blockley Primary school.

"I have one boy and 9 girls in the club at Stow on the Wold. The members of the club at Blockley are being sorted out now for the new term. We started off knitting a ring, about 10 stitches in a row and just 4 rows of garter stitch. They chose a button to add as embellishment. Since then they have been knitting rectangles for the above and below project. Today they have been learning how to purl so that they can knit a rib because they want to make leg warmers."

Click here to contact Kirsty

Lancashire

The Knit club with some of their completed items – Back row L-R Beki Holding – Joshua Harrison – Adam Chard – Miss Fiona Radcliffe - Donna Fisher – Katie HoyleFront Row L-R Ella MacGregor – Megan Jones – Miss Bernadette Brannigan (Art Teacher) - Elizabeth Kearton – Jessica Whiteside	School Chaplain Fiona Radcliffe explains the basics to student Katie Hoyle	First time knitter Donna fisher gets to grips with her needles.

Kate Nisbet; "Here at Saint Aidan’s we have always encouraged students to acquire new skills and to put those skills to good use. As this is National Knitting Week, I thought we would let you know about our recently formed knitting group:

A group of students at Saint Aidan’s Church of England Technology College in Preesall Lancashire are getting their knitting needles out to help “Operation Christmas Child”. For a number of years, Saint Aidan’s have been involved in Operation Christmas Child, a charity that collects boxes of gifts and toys to give to underprivileged children around the world as Christmas presents. Students donate small items of clothing, toys, toiletries and stationery to fill hundred of boxes each year and this year they are adding knitted items to their boxes.

School Chaplain Fiona Radcliffe and Textiles teacher Lisa Porter have organised lunchtime knitting sessions to encourage students, and staff, to take up the art of knitting and to do it for a good cause. Fiona said ‘Saint Aidan’s students have always been fervent supporters of Operation Christmas Child and this year will be doing a little bit extra, at the same time as having fun. Lots of students and staff are keen to take part, showing the rising popularity of hand knitting. Some of our students already knit and some are absolute beginners but they are all enjoying getting together to chat and knit. It is a very social occupation!’"

Click here to contact Kate Nisbet

Lancashire

Children with Olympic Athletes handing over their Woolsack cushions

Mary Walton, has been helping her knitting groups participate in the Woolsack project.

Mary was delighted to hear that some of the athletes were coming to train at Edge Hill University in Ormskirk, as she hoped it might give the Year 5 and 6 knitters from Ormkirk C of E Primary and St Anne’s RC Primary the opportunity to present the cushions in person. The athletes are from the Marshall Islands, Palau and Micronesia and are being looked after at the University by Anthony Charlton, Associate Head of Department for Sport Studies and Sports. Anthony was able to organise the hand over last Friday, 6 July, and it was a big success for all involved.

The athletes were very impressed with their cushions and barely let them out of their arms after the presentation. The children were thrilled to meet the athletes. They all even had a running race together and the children were given Olympic badges as a memento of their visit.

Click here to contact Mary

London

Gosia Dzik-Holden runs a Knitting Club at Millfields Community School, Clapton, London E5. The knitting club at her local primary school has proven to be very popular. There are 10 complete beginners who all need a lot of attention. We meet once a week (on Thursdays) for an hour.

Click here to contact Gosia

Northampton

Members of Norton Green Knitting Group	Help To Teach	Local School Children	To Knit

Mary Brind-Surch runs Greens Norton knitting group near Towcester Northants. Every Thursday they teach children at the local Primary School to knit.

Children present their knittd blanket to Mrs Hope	Children proudly display their knitted blanket	Knitted pets - April 2012	The start of Jubilee bunting April 2012

The Knitting Group With Their Knitted Bunting June 2012

The Thursday Craft Club at Greens Norton Primary School was established by the Village Knitters in April 2010. Since then volunteers from the WI and Fifty Plus have taught children aged between 7 and 10 to knit. Each week up to 7 knitters work with 14 youngsters and together have made bunting to decorate the Breakfast and Afterschool Club room, Christmas decorations, Mothering Sunday gifts and entries for the Village Show. Efforts this term have been directed to the creation of a colourful blanket that has been given to village resident Mrs Marion Hope aged 92 years.

Volunteer Coordinator, Mary Brind-Surch, is thrilled at the progress the boys and girls are making with their newly acquired skill. At the assembly she told the children about the magic of knitting – how it is that a bag of donated yarn that could have been someone’s baby blanket or favourite sweater has been saved from the rubbish and made into a colourful and useful item that will keep someone warm in the chilly months. We are looking forward to 2012. ‘The Olympics and The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee will give us plenty of ideas to develop’ she comments.

Update June 2012: Our next project is helping he children produce an entry for the village show in early September

Click here to contact Mary

Somerset

Paula Spray is involved as a volunteer on a Community Wool Craft Project in Wellington, Somerset

"Our group consists of Young people from Court Fields community school, community participants and volunteer helpers. We have been going since September 2011 and planned to finish the after school group in December. The young people loved the wool crafts so much and asked us if we could continue. So we are continuing to meet every Wednesday after School until 17:30. We would also like to start a new group in September and will start by taking the young people to see the sheep sheared, they will then be introduced to spinning, dyeing, knitting, back-strap and peg loom weaving."

Click here to contact Paula if you live in Somerset and have any needles and/or spare wool you can donate

Suffolk

Kathryn Hitchings is running a very successful knitting club at her school in Bucklesham, Ipswich, Suffolk:

"We've got mums/governors in, taught knitting with needles in small groups, and the children have then taught each other. We are planning to yarn bomb a local sculpture with our results and end the festivities with a sponsored whole-school knit. We intend to get the press involved. I really want to reward this healthy addiction. "

Click here to contact Kathryn

Surrey

This Craft Club is run by Marion Standing (Head Teacher) and Fiona Mcnulty who teaches at St Mark's Primary School, St Mark's Road, Mitcham, Surrey. The club has been running for the last two years, children can join each term so the number we have changes, but we usually have at least 10 members. Last term we had 9 girls and 3 boys. The club runs once a week after school and lasts for an hour, the children learn knitting, sewing and crochet.

Click here to contact Fiona

West Midlands

First knitting session	Longest chain World Record	Knitting in the playground	Blanket for a teacher's new baby

Phillippa Cheong has started a Craft Club at Moseley Church of England Primary School, Moseley, Birmingham, B13 9EH. Head is Mrs Ashe. The school accommodates 210 pupils from Reception to Year 6.

The club runs on Friday lunch times and overall we have had 120 finger knitters during Craft Week and a turnover of 40 girls and boys coming to the Club classes. Once the children have mastered basic knitting they are welcome to come to our “Golden Time” sessions which are run weekly on a Friday 3pm for 30 minutes and this is open to the whole school as a drop in session. Many come regularly and an average attendance is 20, with 4 adult volunteers. The children’s progress to date, includes a blanket for a teacher’s expected baby, and the Guinness Book of Records longest chain contribution (so far it is about 14 metres long).

Our next session will start on Friday 10th May for beginner’s crochet. We expect a class of 20 who will commit to coming 8 times this term.

Click here to contact Phillippa

West Midlands

Outside Birmingham Dogs Home	The Brownies show off their knitted blanket

We are 29th Sutton Coldfield Brownies, from Birmingham, learning to knit with the help of parents and grandparents. After sewing the squares together some of us took the blanket to Birmingham Dog's home. We spent 3 weeks learning to knit. Some of the Brownies continued knitting at home. The girls are aged 7 to 11 years old. We decided to do some knitting to help celebrate our centenary, as it is an activity that helps us look back at traditions and yet do something that is very up to date, with the renewed interest in knitting. All the girls had a wonderful time, and although some struggled to start with, they all kept trying and the end result was a beautiful blanket.

Click here to contact Marion who helped set up this club