Rachel Plachcinski writes: #NCTyarns has led to me having some lovely times getting together with friends (and occasionally strangers). Sometimes we have made squares, blankets and pompoms, teaching and learning from one another along the way. Other times our activity has been limited to winding balls of yarn while talking. And then there have been the get togethers where we have just admired my collection of #NCTyarns squares whilst talking, drinking tea and eating biscuits in a corner of the IKEA restaurant.
Regardless of productivity, they have all been such enjoyable times that I have been thinking about the practicalities of setting up a permanent group. Jen Hird from NCT’s Commissioned Services team put me in touch with Kelly Brookbank who runs Creative Minds (formerly Crafty Mummies) in Paulton, near Bristol. Jen says that Kelly “is responsible for making a haven of craftiness in the melee of motherhood.”
Crafty Mummies grew out of a Bumps and Babies group run by the North East Somerset NCT branch, and turned into Creative Minds when the branch closed down. “Quite a few people in the Bumps and Babies group were going back to work and we wanted to stay in touch,” said Kelly. “We all liked creative things so we got together in my lounge for a few evenings to tie-dye babygros and muslins. Then we just met to chat, and we carried on from there.”
The group has been running for five years now, with eight people regularly attending. They meet once a month, from 8-9.30pm.Jen describes it as a “low key, informal meet up without children” and added: “This is a rural area where there isn’t much to do in the evenings, so this gives me an opportunity to get out of the house. Sometimes people turn up without any craft project at all; they just want to get out and meet people.”
Here are Kelly’s top tips for running a successful group.
Try different venues to find one that’s comfortable, accessible and relaxed: “We originally met in a local cafe which was open in the evenings then, when that closed, we tried a few places before settling on a pub in the village,” said Kelly. “The first pub we used didn’t work at all; it was full of men playing darts who kept interrupting us.” The current venue is described by Jen as having excellent heating, a warm welcome and a great atmosphere.
Daytime or evening? “We run from 8pm until about 9.30 which means bedtime is done and sandwiches are packed for tomorrow and you can abandon your partner.” Kelly tried running a couple of daytime sessions but finding the right place to do your own crafts with children in tow was difficult. “It’s not easy to sit and knit in a soft play centre and supervise your children at the same time.”
Keep it affordable: There’s no charge to join the group which makes it very accessible. The pub is free to use and refreshments are reasonably priced. People bring their own materials so it didn’t cost Kelly anything to set it up. She visited a Bristol daytime craft group which paid a childminder to watch the children: “It works for them but I wasn’t sure it would work for us because of the cost implications. It was £7.50 for 90 minutes which doesn’t feel very inclusive.”
Expertise: It’s very helpful to have someone there who knows what they’re doing. Jen admitted: “I would save complicated things for Crafty Mummies and take it along for Kelly to sort it out. She is a super knitter.” Kelly added that you don’t necessarily have to spend all your time teaching; lots of learning happens through the sharing of Youtube videos, simple patterns and quick demos. It’s also worth checking out local yarn shops, especially the independents, so you can direct people on where to find more advice and assistance.
What craft? Crafty Mummies started with tie-dying: Creative Minds now attracts people who do knitting, crochet, hand sewing, drawing, quilling, and painting rocks. One evening someone brought a sewing machine along and, once they’d checked it with the pub owner, plugged it in in the corner. There are people who knit prolifically and can turn out a jumper in one evening, and others who’ve been working on the same thing for several years. Seems to me like lots of variety keeps the group fresh and interesting.
Who can join? Kelly said: “We changed to Creative Minds as we didn’t want to be exclusively mummies. We’ve never had dads join us, but we have had some grannies, adoptive parents and people who were trying for a baby. We have cities near us and when people move out of them to villages like mine the group helps them get to know people, as well as connecting them with NCT.”
Shared project or individual? According to Jen: “Ours is a very fluid and informal group so charity projects never really got off the ground, but it could be a good idea to start with a joint project if you are setting up a new group.”
Social media: Creative Minds has a Facebook page which Kelly has found very useful for posting news and crafty information and sharing information with her local community. “I can talk about what I am doing with NCT and things like the Nearly New Sale. There’s no pressure; it’s a very gentle and fun way to get together.”
Jen: “I learnt to knit as a child then started again when I found out I was unexpectedly pregnant with my fourth child. I needed something that was absorbing enough that I wouldn’t think about the fact that I was having another baby that I hadn’t intended to have. It definitely saved my head! Once I’d had him I realised I couldn’t knit and breastfeed at the same time so I taught myself to crochet.”
Kelly: “Having a craft gives you something that’s yours after having children; going back to it helped me find myself. If I’m cross I can tell through my knitting as my tension is tighter. If I have a problem I sit and knit, crochet or draw. These things take my focus away from the problem and then I come back to it much fresher.
“Coming to the group gets people talking about neutral things like patterns and yarn; it opens windows and then other things happen. My mother in law says it’s like her Women’s Circle she used to have. You can make your own village of like minded crazy mummies who have managed to dodge bath and bedtime.”
I’m definitely feeling inspired. People talk a lot about yarnbombing; I think we need to talk more about yarn bonding.
Knitting NCT Together 