A step-by-step guide to creating your own knitting or crochet group.
While knitting is inherently a solitary task, there comes a time in every knitter or crocheter's life where the need to talk with other like-minded individuals arises. Knitting or crochet in and of itself is a lonely craft. You only need one person to make a sweater, and while that time alone can be a great occasion for relaxation and introspection, there are times when you want to share your craft with others. This has become a driving force for many to band together a few friends over needles and hooks. Gathering some friends who could get together and knit, crochet, needlework, or do any fiber-related arts that they want while enjoying some good drinks and some good eats is always the recipe for a good night out.
Putting together a knitting circle can seem daunting in the beginning; how do you get the word out? What happens if nobody shows interest? What happens if nobody shows up? The simple fact is that there are many people probably in the same boat, looking for others to share a knitting or crochet night-out with, all those people need is one person to step up and do the organizing, which surprisingly requires not too much time, and minimal effort. Here's a step-by-step guide to quickly, and easily, creating your own group.
1. Create a list of your friends that would be interested. Make an internal checklist of all the people you know that have shown any interest in knitting ever, regardless if whether or not they actually know how.
2. Put the word out. Contact your friends, coworkers, online acquaintances in your area, or anybody else you know that may be interested in getting together. If they are interested, take a short tally of when everybody is available and how often they would like to meet.
3. Find a location. Once you get an idea of how many people want to come, you'll get an idea of how much space you'll need. Coffee shops are great places to meet, they usually have nice comfy chairs and you can sit for hours without having to break the bank (two coffees will cost you less than $5 - now that's a good cheap night out). If you are unsure if the establishment will be okay with a group of people coming and knitting, make sure to give them a call and tell them your plans.
All you have left after those three easy steps is to make sure everybody knows where and when to go. A few more tips:
- If you are the host, make sure you show up early so people can find you.
- Encourage others to bring their friends.
- Encourage newcomers, teach them what you know.
- Most importantly, have fun. You'll find that soon enough it's 10pm and you've been sitting in the café for an hour.
- It's a good idea to create a website for group updates, a place for people to post photos, and where people can check for next meeting information.
For more information for finding groups in your area, or for starting your own group, check out these links:
Stitch 'N Bitch Groups Worldwide
"How To Start A Knitting Group" (.pdf file)
© Kelly Gilliam, text and images. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.
