What is a knitalong?

If we learned anything from COVID-19, it’s the strength in community. While many of us were required to stay at home in isolation, communities throughout the country mobilised to keep an eye out for one another, finding alternative ways to keep social connections alive and generate a feeling of shared experience.

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During this period of enforced isolation, many also explored new hobbies such as knitting, macrame and other crafts, and discovered that learning from others is an excellent way to absorb new skills and connect with a new community.

Online communities make it easy to get crafting

The internet has made lots of hobbies more accessible for those who are new and don’t have friends or family to show them the ropes. Nowadays, all a prospective crafter needs to do is grab some wool and needles, or order a macrame kit online like those available from Wool Couture, and they can be reaping the benefits in no time.

As well as making beautiful items to keep, gift or even sell, crafting is a great way to relax and look after your mental health. Key to this is the vibrant online community of crafters that have thrived on forums like Reddit, YouTube and even Instagram.

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What is a knitalong?

Plenty of fantastic knitters and crafters make YouTube content where they create a project, sometimes over several videos, and talk viewers through it. However, if you want an even more interactive knitting experience, and want to gain expertise and trade tips with other knitters on the same project, a knitalong might be for you. These are forums where groups of knitters work together on a single project and support each other through it. This is a great way to learn while at the same time building community.