Meet. Knit. Learn.
That is the motto of The Ottawa Knitting Guild, which boasts over 150 members who get together once a month to share their knitting, learn from each other, and socialize. They do not teach people how to knit, but they help knitters develop their skills.
Laurie Chochinov, president of the guild, says it has been in existence since 1994, when members met in each other’s houses. It has since grown to the point that they completely fill the gym of the Woodroffe United Church in Nepean.
“It was started by a group of women who felt it would be helpful for their own knitting to get together, to learn from each other, to do research and a little bit of studying,” Chochinov said. “[Twenty] years ago there wasn’t a lot of books or patterns compared to what is available now. Notwithstanding the Internet, there has been an absolute explosion in books and magazines available to knitters.”
“These were women who were knitting on their own and felt they could learn something from each other,” Chochinov said.
The Guild is mostly made up of women, but men are welcome to join as well. The monthly meetings start with an optional tutorial with “the Stitch Doctor” and then go on to announcements. The Guild often requests to knit for charity, and they also hold workshops and show and tell. Members also have access to the Guild’s library, which holds hundreds of knitting books.
Elizabeth Payne, the Stitch Doctor, has been with the Guild since the beginning. She said the membership of young women is growing.
“What’s quite interesting is that there are a lot of new, young knitters who are joining; it’s almost like it skipped a generation,” Payne said. “I think it draws them because the younger generation find it an interesting creative leisure activity they can see results from. It offers the ‘look what I made.’ ”
“With the advent of new materials and colour schemes, it is very stimulating. Your mind can go in many directions, and they’re very keen. They can see themselves knitting and they are rewarded for it,” Payne said.
Jess Spier, a new member, said she started knitting as a child but dropped the craft later on. She picked it back up in university and has since spent two years with the Guild. Spier is the creator of the Guild’s newsletter, The Tangled Skein, where the Guild reposts their announcements and includes all of the work shown at the previous meeting’s show and tell.
“It’s an art and a craft. You can’t have one without the other because even if you can use the art to design, you need the ability to be able to create it,” she said. “It’s both the talent and the ability to bring it to life. Some pieces are more art than practical, but I love both.”
Jennifer Hill, a member for three years and treasurer of the Guild’s executive, has been knitting her entire life—she started when she was eight years old. She said the Internet has drastically changed the ability for knitters to learn more about the craft, as well as connect with each other.
“I’ve been taking a lot of Craftsy courses online,” Hill said, noting that she uses knitting to relax.
The best known knitting website is Ravelry, which is like Facebook for knitters. Users can search patterns, keep a catalogue of their yarn, connect with friends, and chat on forums. Craftsy is also popular, and has many courses to teach knitters new techniques and stitches.
“It’s nice to be able to share, to see all the things you can do,” Hill said. “Before you could only go to a yarn store, look for a pattern, then buy the yarn for that pattern . . . now you get to be creative. It’s easier to create patterns and make something completely different.”
