Daft Crafts

crafts

Bitchin’ stitchin’

Knit one, purl one, look out! We meet three women who are taking knitting to the next level with projects that are a million miles from twee baby blankets or genteel cardigans

Paula Sharpe, Clare Sams, and Samia Khalaf Tossio have thrown the knitting rule book out the window with their incredible creations. They’re having fun, they’re making public statements and supporting good causes with their work and they are urging more people to pick up needles and crochet hooks – or even use their fingers - to get wild and woolly.

Paula

Thanks to social media, Paula Sharpe, 51, has embraced yarn-bombing. This is the oftenanarchic outdoor art of wrapping things such as trees, bollards, bridges, park benches and bike racks. It turns the idea of graffiti on its head. The movement is believed to have started when a woman in Houston covered her shop door handle with a specially adapted tea-cosy. And there is often a serious message – yarn-bombing aims to reclaim public places and is synonymous with feminism, as traditionally ‘female’ arts reclaim space dominated by men.

“I saw some pictures on Instagram of yarnbombing abroad and then my mind went into overdrive,” she says. “I am very creative and from that moment, I had to have a book at the side of the bed because I would wake in the night with an idea.”

She says yarn-bombing is an accessible way to get involved in knitting and crochet: “It’s such an easy thing to do and if you need inspiration, the internet is full of examples.”

Her proudest yarn-bombing achievement was the result of an open-minded vicar and the help of creativi-Tea, her craft group.

“My local church needed funds and the vicar very bravely said, ‘I trust you’,” Paula recalls. “My imagination went wild, we raised over £3,000 for church repairs and more than 4,000 people visited our little church to see the yarn bomb. I was so proud. “In the future, I would love to yarn-bomb my village, making a trail around the village for people to follow,” she says. @PaulaSharpe

Clare

Clare, 47, a textile artist and avid knitter, holds the Guinness World Record for creating the world’s largest crochet hook. She is thrilled that knitting has grown in popularity in the past 20 years when she would stand out as the only young person knitting on a train.

Her work breaks down traditional knitting barriers. Instead of rustling up winter woollies, she has used knitting to create friezes of street scenes, or reproduce common sights. Her designs include a knitted pigeon stealing crisps from an abandoned packet and scenes of a siege that occurred in December 2002 in Hackney, where she used to live.

“I love creating unique designs that tell a story,” she says.

The rise of YouTube tutorials has made it easier for more people to get stitching, even if there has been no family history of passing knitting skills down the generations. And during the pandemic, plenty of people with time on their hands decided to give wool a whirl.

“I think that over the past year, there’s been even more uptake, as people have looked for something to do while on furlough or lockdown,” says Clare.

As well as YouTube tutorials and plentiful online resources for self-taught knitters, Clare advises joining a local group: “Learning with others is always easier than trying to learn on your own.”

“It’s an amazing way to improve well-being, to create a lovely safe space to work,” she says. “People seem to enjoy getting together and knitting. It makes an instant community.” www.claresams.co.uk

Samia

Samia, 52, creates colourful, textured finger-knitted clothes as well as yarnbombing activities that make powerful public statements.

She has created yarn-bombing projects in South London, including a remembrance tree and a poignant tribute to Sabina Nessa, the schoolteacher who was murdered this year. These works have had a powerful impact on people in her local community.

“A lady passed by while I was adjusting the poppies on the remembrance tree – she was overjoyed by it all, it lifted her spirits entirely as she was supporting her good friend who was receiving palliative care,” Samia recalls. “She took a photo of me with the tree for her friend. I gave her my warmest smile, and wept quietly when she left.”

“This yarn-bombing lark really does reach people’s hearts in such beautiful ways. I am humbled and grateful for being able to generate joyful ripples for those who need it,” she says.

Samia learned how to finger-knit after her mother died of colon cancer in 2015 – she found an online finger-knitting tutorial and found the craft to be “completely therapeutic” during the grieving process. She says she turned a heartbreaking part of her life into a positive when she taught around 300 people to finger-knit as part of her first yarn-bombing project. Samia’s bold, bright finger-knitted garments are also for sale on her website.

As for yarn-bombing ambitions, she would love to do a project for the Olympics, the Paralympics, Trafalgar Square or London’s South Bank: “Anywhere that making magic can happen with colour, fluff and a whole lot of heart, so that any Tom, Dick and Harriet can stop and get involved right there.” www.samiart.co.uk

Knits-tagram

A big knitting and crochet-loving community has sprung up on Instagram over the past few years. The term #knitting has over 20 million hits on Instagram alone, with #crochetersofinstagram coming in second. A click on the hashtag brings up myriad creations, from jumpers and cardigans to slightly more left-field knitted designs including table centrepieces, figurines, jewellery and even underwear.

the tom Daley effect

In between winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics with his synchronised diving partner Matty Lee, Tom Daley was spotted knitting by the pool. He claims knitting helps him to stay calm during stressful competitions. The cardigan with its Olympic rings and Team GB logo caused quite a stir when he revealed the finished article during the games. It was auctioned to raise money for a brain tumour charity.

go olD school

Among the tragic cardigans and ill-advised sleeveless pullovers, there are some gems to be found in vintage knitting patterns. From funky dresses that are perfect for reviving ’60s style to absolutely hilarious projects, there are plenty of great ideas to create something unique. At www.freevintageknitting.com, there is a treasure trove of free retro patterns to download, such as this superb doggy sweater: https://freevintageknitting.com/dogsweater-patterns/coats291/punchinello-dogsweater-pattern

CAPTION Punchinello Dog Sweater

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