Members of North Bay's Hand Knitters Guild demonstrate the ancient art form of knitting during World Knit in Public Day. Photo by Dennis Chippa.
Rhiannon Don and her counterparts with the North Bay Hand Knitters Guild know a lot about knitting.
But maybe not knitting as a spectator event.
The Guild was at the North Bay Farmers Market Saturday, as part of World Knit in Public Day, an event with almost 900 clubs from 56 countries involved.
Don says the event is designed to promote the guild, and the craft.
“When we are actually in the public and talking about it people will often say ‘Oh my grandmother used to knit’ or ‘Don’t you know that’s for old people’ or things like that. One of the things we discover as we get more involved in the group is just as much as it’s an old craft it is a very vibrant and very thriving one.”
North Bay’s group gets together once a month, to talk about what members are working on, try to learn new skills and share in a love of the craft of hand knitting.
Don says the social aspect of the monthly meetings is important, especially as knitters come from all over the spectrum.
“We have a broad range of ages for our membership so it’s a really fantastic opportunity for us to get to know people that we otherwise might not encounter in our day to day lives and to spend time together and learn from one another.”
Knitting by hand is an ancient craft, and an art form.
But Don says the real interesting thing about the rebirth of knitting is the embracing of the new technology.
“The internet has been a really huge part of that. Our participation in World Wide Knit in Public Day is a testament to that.”
“It’s not only ancient but it’s global as well.”
North Bay’s Hand Knitting Guild registered its participation along with the other world-wide groups, ensuring the city is represented in the phenomenon.
And the group did it all without dropping a stitch.
