Saturday 22 July / 5.00pm to 8.00pm / The Create Place 29 Old Ford Road, E2 9PJ
The Knit Club is a workshop by Craft Forward structured like a relaxed and welcoming knitting group, open to beginners and experienced knitters to come together, connect, learn more about the craft and its radical history. Knitters will be producing knitted squares to go towards the “Blankets for London” project.
“Blankets for London” is Craft Forward’s seasonal project where we assemble blankets to donate to homeless individuals in London through our partner charities.
The Knit Club is open to anyone interested in approaching crafting and textile art for the first time and to any creative who would like an opportunity to make together and connect with other makers.
What to bring: all materials are provided! If you are an experienced knitter please bring your own knitting needles (and spare yarn if you have any); if you are a beginner, come along and we will help you start your knitting journey! If you’re a crocheter, come with your favourite hook, or you can borrow one from us!
Pictures will be taken during this session: please let us know if you’d rather not be photographed, we want to make sure everyone is comfortable.
Established in 2021, Craft Forward is a Community Interest Company based in South London designed to provide accessible, creative, experiences suitable for everyone, regardless of their skills and background. Our aim is to disrupt the current elitism within the arts and crafts world and open creativity to all. To do this, we re-define and re-frame arts and crafts through workshops that value well-being and connection over results and technical achievements, while having a clear social purpose. We think of arts and crafts as smaller, valuable actions that contribute to the community’s growth and that can tackle bigger social issues; one of our main initiatives is “Blankets for Lambeth,” which started back in 2020. Every winter, we bring together a group of knitters and crocheters to create handmade blankets for people experiencing homelessness in the area. The project has since expanded into “Blankets for London”, building more knitting spaces and warmth across the city.
We believe that arts and crafts can be a catalyst for social change and can also have a big impact on people’s mental health and well-being. That’s why we also host monthly knitting workshops in Brixton. It’s a chance for people to come together, learn a new skill, and make new connections, all while helping those in need. We are big fans of “slow-making and slow-thinking”, focusing on the importance of making by hand, of taking your own time with your thoughts and ideas, and going against fast structures of production and artmaking.
