Knitting is back in fashion - big time. Hollywood stars
are doing it, young and old are doing, men as well as women
are doing it. And now Derby even has its own Knit Club,
led by a man who knits what he describes as "animated
waffles." Amanda Volley pulls the wool from over your
eyes to highlight a new craze.
BACK in the 60s and 70s, there was nothing more depressing than the news
that someone was knitting you something for Christmas.
At best, it was a Dr Who scarf, an Aztec-style poncho or mittens on a
string. But sometimes - horror of horror - it was a Noddy Holder tank
top, a banana yellow cardigan or a swimming costume that would unravel
at the drop of a bathing towel.
There are still people who claim they were permanently damaged by the
trauma of having to wear hand-knitted jumpers, crocheted tights and tea
cosy hats to their friend's parties. Let us be honest, knitted items
were for those who could not afford the luxury of Crimplene.
But then, a few years ago, something incredible happened. Before you
could say "where did you get that pashmina?" knitting had become
the chosen hobby of the young, fashionable, beautiful set. Actor Russell
Crowe was even said to rush straight from grappling with lions, tigers
and bears on the set of Gladiator to get back to grappling with his knitting
patterns.
Since then, more Hollywood stars than you can shake a knitting needle
at are getting in on the fad. Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Roberts, Richard
Gere and Courtney Cox can be seen doing a bit of knit one purl-one between
takes.
Madonna is said to find sweater-making as relaxing as Bikram yoga - although
it is not quite so good for building her biceps. In fact, in Los Angeles
stitch and bitch parties are all the rage for these so-called "knitsters".
And so it should be no surprise to learn that knitting clubs in Derbyshire
are no longer full of ageing ladies knitting pom-pom hats for their beloved
grandchildren
The passion for making homespun woolly items has crossed the Atlantic.
There is even a new magazine called Simply Knitting which has been launched
to target young knitters and features patterns for trendy knitted gillets
and hoodie tops.
"The knitting craze was started by A-list celebrities like Catherine Zeta
Jones, Julia Roberts and even Russell Crowe and fashion-conscious celeb watchers
are hot on their heels. The summer's catwalk trends feature big knits and the
handcraft vibe is everywhere," explained the magazine's press officer Rebecca
Oatley.
"Today, you are more likely to see young, trendy 20-somethings knitting
groovy little clutch bags or ponchos. Knitting is now as trendy as yoga and women
from across the region are picking up or dusting off their needles and having
a go. There are also knitting clubs springing up across Derbyshire full of young
fashion-conscious people."
In fact, if you happen to pop into one of the ultra trendy bars in and
around Derby on the right night you may even witness a group of trendy,
young "knitsters" at one of their regular knit-ins.
Members of Derby's Knit Club can invariably be seen consuming the odd
pints of beer, a few bags of savoury snacks and a large amount of fine
wool as they clickety-clack their way through an enjoyable night out.
It must be a good night out too as one of the founder members of Knit
Club - the remarkably cool Corey Mwamba - is one of the most passionate
knitters you will ever meet and yet he has never, ever produced a single
useable garment.
"Before I helped my friend Bernice Kew to launch the club I had no interest
in knitting at all and I could not knit," Corey, a musician and composer
explained. "Now I have an interest in knitting, I go to most of the meetings
but I can't say I am getting any better at knitting. It's just something to do
which involves getting together with friends to chill out and relax."
The club started as it was not a simple exercise for Corey's friend Bernice
to find the wools, cashmeres, silks and yarns she needed to complete
her knitting projects.
"I remember spending the best part of a day in Nottingham with her looking
for wool but she couldn't find it. She was so fed-up and that's when we suggested
trying to find a knitting club to get some advice," Corey said.
"Bernice wanted to find a club for younger people and one that met outside
people's homes, but there was nothing at that time. That's when I suggested we
do it ourselves. It's down to Bernice that the club got started."
Corey had only had a brief brush with knitting at that stage - he recalls
trying to knit something like a scarf at school - and he had even less
of an idea how to set up a knitting club.
"There was a lot of procrastination between having the idea and setting
up the club. We didn't really know how to get it going," he admitted.
"Then I talked to a mate of mine about the problems we were having in deciding
which way to go with the club and he just said 'do it and see where you go'.
It's a good philosophy for loads of things in life. In this case, Bernice and
I, along with another friend called Claire Osbourne, set up a first meeting at
Derby's Revolution bar on September 9, 2003."
Having the inaugural meeting at Revolution seemed fitting. "It was
the former home of one of Derby's best known knitting shops Strand Wools," Corey
said. "We didn't advertise the event, we just sat down and started
knitting. Well, Bernice and Claire started knitting - Bernice had to
teach me how to cast on. I was useless at that first meeting and I'm
still completely useless."
He laughed. "I can only knit squares. In fact, my second square
looked more like a leaf or a three-legged goat. I can't count the number
of times I've demonstrated casting off to a novice only to find they
are producing booties or scarves within weeks - while I'm still on squares."
The first meeting provoked some predictable responses from lads in the
pub, more used to nursing pints than knitting needles.
"Oh yes, we did get a few looks and comments and we simply invited them
to have a go," Corey said. "A few of them sat down and soon we had
a crowd of 18-odd people. Most of the lads ended up enjoying it and a few came
to other meetings."
Talking of committed members, Corey has watched some of the talented
knitters in the group getting better and better. One of the members has
even begun to knit using craft wire and makes "amazing brooches".
"People turn up for very different reasons. Some want advice from other
knitters but the vast majority turn up to make friends, not jumpers," Corey
said.
"All we ask is that people bring a ball of wool - we can provide the needles.
A lot of people end up joining in after coming over to ask what we're doing.
Then they have a go for a dare and end up staying for the whole evening."
Corey finds his own devotion to the cause a lot harder to explain. Naturally,
he goes because he likes the kinship but he is the first to admit he
has yet to find a use for his knitted squares.
'I suppose I could put teddy bear eyes on it - it would look like an
animated waffle," he laughed. "I could stitch them together
to make a quilt but I really haven't done that many.
"Personally speaking, I knit because it's quite relaxing. I'm not deterred
by my lack of progress. I can purl and cast on and off. After a long day, getting
together with friends to knit is relaxing."
According to Corey, there is some talk about knitting and patterns but
it is more of a social club with knitting as the peaceful pastime that
binds the members together. The club is just as much about chatting,
drinking and the consumption of the Knit Club's favourite snack - pork
scratchings.
"They're surprisingly un-greasy on the fingers so it's better for when you're
knitting," Corey said. "The club meetings tend to go on until the licensee
of the pub turns the lights down or the last person gets up and staggers home.
There aren't any rules. I tend to knit a bit of my square, eat some crisps, have
a drink and a laugh and then I go home."
Corey says there are around nine regular members of the Derby club at
present with a similar number at a club he and Bernice have founded in
Nottingham. The majority of members are women in their 20s and 30s but
there is no age limit.
"The only thing I would say is that we're not trying to be trendy.
"It's just a way of having a good time with the chance of making something
warm thrown in." |
