Rowan Yarns Digital Magazine Rowan Spring Summer Newsletter 2019 | Page 50

When Alison meets a new member of the group, she takes the
time to find out a little about them, what knitting experience
they already have and what they hope to gain from the group.
Some people bring an existing project with them, and they
often have ideas of what they want to learn and the skills they’d
like to improve upon.
by Kerry Kimber
Founder & Director of Knitting for All
At the heart of our mission at
“Knitting For All” is the belief that
knitting really is for everyone.
We love working with diverse and varied groups from all walks
of life, and our franchisees offer lots of different activities to suit
all ages and abilities around the UK and Ireland.
Alison McKie is a former lawyer and now a Knitting For All
franchisee in Glasgow. As well as teaching children at her
regular Kids Knit classes, she also helps a group of deafblind
adults to knit.
Deafblind Scotland is a charity that has been supporting the
needs of deafblind adults for over a quarter of a century and have
recently opened a new national centre in Kirkintilloch. Their aim
is to enable deafblind people to live as rightful members of their
own communities, campaigning for the rights of the deafblind
people and providing a range of services, support, training and
information.
Alison was delighted when the charity contacted her to ask if
she would be interested in teaching knitting and crochet to a
small group of deafblind people. Having worked with a variety
of groups previously, she was confident she could offer them
something that they would enjoy, though she was initially
somewhat apprehensive about teaching people who had both
a visual and hearing impairment and wondered how she would
be able to communicate with them.
“I was assured the guide who was with them would help with
communication, and am happy to say I needn’t have worried.
Almost everyone has their own guide, (and yes, there is one
guide dog there too, who sits quietly in the corner) and I just
talk normally!”
Many of those who attend the group have had some knitting
and crochet experience in the past and Alison was struck by the
beauty of their work and their keen desire to learn new skills.
“It is inspiring to see how people overcome their difficulties and
focus on their abilities, not disabilities. One thing I have noticed
is that folks’ tension is often excellent – and I am sure this is
because their sense of touch is finely honed.”
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Newsletter April 2019 | Spring Summer
“I was asked to run my classes as I normally would when
facilitating an adult group of knitters, and I do. We use Rowan
wool – Pure Wool Worsted for the finer projects, and Big Wool
for the chunkier projects. The latter is very popular as it is a
great yarn to use if you are working largely by touch. Also, its
vibrant colours appeal to those with limited sight. We make
some soft toys – I have a popular Knitting For All pattern for
a teddy, and one of the members has produced a number of
“Trauma Teddies” – a similar teddy bear pattern. Hats, scarves
and fingerless gloves in Rowan Big Wool have also been
popular, and one member is knitting hats for the homeless. It is
heartwarming to see dual-sensory impaired people knitting for
good causes - again another example of focusing on what you
have, not what you don’t have.”

Both the participants and guides in the group almost always
know each other from previous events and activities they have
attended.
“There is always lots of chatter both verbally and, simultaneously,
signed. As a result it is a very friendly group and the social
aspect is every bit as important as the knitting (as in all knitting
groups.) I have begun to pick up a smattering of British Sign
Language, and am grateful to the guide who taught me how
to sign the numbers 11-20, having worked out myself how to
do 1-10!”
The programme has been a huge success and Alison is making
preparations for resuming the classes again this summer.
Gillian Mooney, the Development Officer at Deafblind Scotland
says “Deafblindness is a very isolating condition which can
cause extreme loneliness. The weekly knitting class has enabled
deafblind people the opportunity to enjoy friendship through
the shared experience of learning the skill of knitting.  More
importantly the classes have given our members something
to look forward to each week which gets them out their house,
meeting new people and experiencing a sense of achievement
from the items they make.  One member commented that she
‘tried to learn knitting at school and I couldn’t do it.  I’m so proud
of myself after one session I can knit.  I’m going to knit a cover
for hot things (drinks, kettle).  I’m so proud of myself.  I can do it.’
The classes have had a huge impact on our members wellbeing.”

If you like the idea of sharing your knitting skills in diverse and
varied settings, please get in touch with us at Knitting For All.
We are always keen to recruit capable and enthusiastic knitting
teachers so that we can further spread the message that knitting
is indeed for all.
KNITTING FOR ALL
Newsletter April 2019 | Spring Summer
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