Welcome to Streatham Knit Wits

By Knitting Regular Astrid

A few months ago, I was on the prowl for a knitting group. I needed a good excuse to get out of the house on a regular basis, and meet some local, like-minded knitters. Oh, and drink whilst knitting. Very important, that.

Unfortunately, the only knitting group I could find that was local to me was the Balham stitch’n’bitch – I say unfortunately, because they meet on a Wednesday evening, and up until a few weeks ago, Wednesday night was lecture night (I’m a full-time student – not for much longer though!)

I would have loved to join the folks at the Balham Bowls Club, but woe – it was not to be.

But via SWCraftClub, I was put in touch with other Streatham knitters – apparently, I wasn’t the only one mourning the lack of non-Wednesday-night-Streatham-based-knitting. With some help and organisation from Zoe, we soon had our first knit-night organised, at Streatham Hill’s cosy Perfect Blend.

Things have evolved a bit since that first night – we’ve kept a sort of nucleus of about 5 regular members, who meet up every two weeks, Tuesday night at 7:30pm. Oh, and we’re not at Perfect Blend anymore – we’ve moved up the road to the Manor Arms. It’s a bit more roomy, and the lighting is better. And the comfy chairs help, too.

It’s been lovely watching people’s projects evolve – Sarah’s popcorn-stitch vintage cardigan has grown and grown, Victoria’s cable knit shrug is half done, and it feels like Lian has brought a different project every week. As for poor Claire – despite having dislocated her shoulder a few weeks ago (we’re a rowdy bunch), she has still attended get togethers, and is making gentle progress with some crochet.

And me? Well, after two and a half years, one failed attempt (and subsequent frogging), I have finally finished my boyfriend’s mammoth jumper commission. Only dozens of ends to weave in, now... those can wait.

We don’t just knit, you know. If you fancy dropping by, but your needles are of the embroidery variety, or you think hooks are best, then our next meeting is at the Manor Arms, Streatham, at 7:30pm, 28^th June. You can either just turn up (ask the barman where the knitters are – he’ll know what you mean), or let us know via Facebook or Twitter. Looking forward to seeing some new faces!