How to Start a Local Knitting Group: 5 Simple Tips

Do you want to be a part of a local knitting group? Not sure where to start? Here’s a blueprint from a workplace knitting group

“Where’s the strangest place you knit?”

I asked this question a few years ago on Facebook and Instagram. And the very first response caught my eye.

“We knit at work on our lunch breaks.”

Sure, that’s hardly the strangest place in the world for knitting. But there was one little word in that response that had me sitting up to take notice:

WE.

If she had said, “I knit at work on my lunch break,” well… no big deal, right? But no. She said “we…our” meaning Multple. People. At. Her. Job. Knits!

And they knit TOGETHER!

Honestly, I can think of few things better than a local knitting group at work. What a marvelous way to get to know one another, to indulge in a delightful shared activity, and maybe even make a difference while you’re at it!

I knew I had to find out more, so I messaged Veronica at her Facebook group page and begged her to let me send her some questions so I could learn the rest of the story.

From Non-Knitter to Avid Knitter Thanks to Workplace Evangelism

Veronica was not a knitter when she began working at an elementary school cafeteria.

“A few years ago we were on our lunch break and a conversation started about knitting,” she said. “I didn’t know knitting at the time, so our manager Debbie showed me the knitting basics.

“There were others who knew knitting as well, so we all just kind of started knitting on our breaks. We also learned loom knitting and some of us even crochet.”

“We once did a secret Santa for Christmas and the gift was to be a knitted scarf. That to me was a great thing because it was someone’s handmade work and made especially with care and so much thoughtfulness,” Veronica said.

“Then one day, I came upon a page on Facebook about knitted hats for children with cancer. I remembered that feeling [of receiving a handmade gift], and finding that page sparked the beginning of wanting to give others a little joy, knowing that others care.”

And so, their knitting group went from just a handful of knitters relaxing on their lunch break to a group actively knitting for charity. How delightful is that?!

Growing a Local Knitting Group for Charity

“Our little group is about 3 or 4 at work, and recently my mom has been helping us out,” Veronica continued.

“On occasion we get one or two ladies that donate handmade items to us, like hats and blankets. That’s a great help since we’re a small group. Tamie from Idaho has [also] been great in helping us out with many items.”

So not only did they knit themselves, but they also gathered handmade donations others offered them.

The group had its share of growing pains, as anyone who has tried to knit consistently for charity will relate to.

“One of the biggest bumps in the road we faced, besides learning the ropes and guidelines for different donation causes, was starting over,” Veronica said.

“We originally started out as ‘Heartfelt Stitches.’ Then we learned that some of our pictures and info were being taken and used by someone else for their own purposes. We didn’t want to take any chances and decided to start fresh again.” They gave themselves the name Sweet Knittings.

“Since then things have gone by smoothly, and even better!”

Like many charity knitting groups, Sweet Knittings decided what to knit based on what touches them. “For myself, angel babies and preemies are close to my heart, in memory of my brother’s baby, as well as cancer, as both of my grandmothers passed away from it.,” Veronica said.

“I know that every cause or place we donate to has some meaning for us or has just simply touched us deeply in some way. We currently are working on holiday items for preemies in the NICU, babies and children with various health issues, as well as some who’ve been through some form of abuse.”

For more about starting your own local knitting group, check out this post!

How You Can Grow Your Own “Sweet Knittings”

I love this story because it shows how a local knitting group can develop organically and thrive!

If you would like to write your own such story, here are some things we can learn from Veronica’s workplace knitting group.

1. Become a knitting ambassador. If you love to knit, don’t be afraid to talk about it. Think about how Veronica started: with coworkers talking about knitting.

If talking about knitting doesn’t come easily to you, you can try wearing some of your handknitted items. Wear a scarf, or fingerless mitts, or a shawl, or even a cell phone purse. You’d be surprised at how often I wind up talking about my knitting because of the cell phone purse I tote nearly everywhere!

2. Knit in public as often as you can. That’s another great way to spark conversations about knitting. When my daughter was a swimmer, I took my knitting to swim practices. When both of my kids were in marching band, I took my knitting on the bus to contests and knitted at the contests themselves.

Rarely have I knitted in public and not had someone ask me about it!

3. Be willing to teach others. That’s a big takeaway here! Sweet Knittings started because Veronica’s manager was willing to teach her how to knit. Listen for those magical words, “I wish I knew how to knit.”

I confess I hear this often. Don’t follow my example and let it roll aside without comment! Pick up on it and say, “I could teach you, if you like.” You might find an eager pupil — and a potential knitting group member!

4. Don’t be afraid to start small. Veronica’s group started with just a handful of knitters, but they soon moved into collecting donations from others. Even if you stay small, you can still get the satisfaction of working together.

5. No need to force charity knitting right away. Maybe in the beginning, you’ll just want to focus on teaching one or two others to knit, or practice your skills, or — like Veronica’s group — just creating things for each other.

Once the group is comfortable with knitting and each other, then you can introduce the idea of knitting for others.

I hope you’ve found Veronica’s story inspiring! If you belong to a knitting group, how did it begin? Feel free to share your story in the comments!