Welcome to our knitting community!

 

THE KNIT-STOP is an Exeter-based community project that uses knitting to help keep people and communities healthy and happy. Through knitting groups, we encourage people to get together to learn new skills, make new friends, and feel good about themselves and their neighbourhoods.

Anyone is welcome to join our Exeter knitting groups - from those who have never knitted, to knitters who have lost skills or confidence, or simply don’t want to knit alone. 

Each group begins by meeting once a week for 8 weeks. Sometimes they continue to meet if folks are interested in carrying on. Our Outreach Coordinator, Trudi Johnston, will be your tutor and will provide all yarn, patterns, needles and expertise to  knit a lovely cushion! All this for just £15! 

Explore the sections below to learn more about The Knit Stop - or scroll down a bit to sign up today!

Join a Knit-Stop group!

Click below to learn where our next group will be held and secure your spot!

Sign up here!

A little more about us...

How did it start?

We started the KnitStop out of a desire to impact our local communities through the means of a creative outlet we all know and love. So, we registered as a community project and were originally funded by the people’s health trust through the health lottery, and in 2016 were awarded a grant from the Big Lottery Fund to continue the programme and expand The Knit-Stop to
more areas in Exeter.

Our Mission

THE KNIT-STOP is a community project, based in Exeter, that uses knitting to help keep people and communities healthy and
happy. Through knitting groups, we encourage people to get together to learn
new skills, make new friends, and feel good about themselves and their neighbourhoods.

It's not about knitting alone!

Knitting in groups can help combat loneliness, isolation, low self-esteem, and even poor health – at every age and stage. It can also help us to make good things happen in our communities.

With this in mind, we want people to get together to practice “social knitting”; the idea being that we can learn about each other, support each other, and work towards more ambitious shared goals!

Our sitting pretty in the city project in October 2015 was a perfect example! We filled the streets with beautiful knitted cushions for folks to sit on and
brought a little life and colour to our city centre. At the end of the day the cushions were donated to St Petrock's, Esther House, Gabriel's House & the
Howell Rd Project for use by their residents.

Our "Knitterly Values"

 Inclusivity    Creativity      Caring     Fun

We try to keep our costs as low as possible and our groups are open to everyone. We want to give people the opportunity to access an inherent part of their humanity by creating, for everyone to feel cared for, to experience using sustainable materials; and of course, to feel able to relax and have FUN!

How are we funded?

We’re funded by sales in our local community interest fibre arts shop, Wool on the Exe in St Thomas, Exeter. A donation of £15 per participants also goes towards covering the costs of materials for the course. It’s getting harder and harder to maintain the Knit Stop in its current form, but we’re deeply grateful for everyone who comes along to shop in Wool on the Exe and allows us to keep going. Knit stop has hosted and taught 300 knitters over the years and we really believe it’s making a difference to people across Exeter.