We are a national educational charity dedicated to UK hand knitting, domestic machine knitting and crochet, run by volunteers and supported by subscriptions and donations.
Community is at the heart of our ethos and we aim to bring together enthusiastic yarn creatives from across the Globe. We are passionate about taking our crafts into the future while respecting the traditions and skills of the past. We look to encourage, inspire and be inspired by amazing makers at local level through our branches and the wider Guild community. We are here to facilitate learning new skills and about the history of knitting and crochet.
Please take a look at what makes us special and come and join us.
The Guild's Heritage Lottery Fund Project - The Collection in 100 objects is on our news pages. We'd love to hear your comments and feedback.
Events: Please do visit our Events pages. Although a lot of your favourite annual shows have been postponed, some have gone online.
Our 2022 Convention will be held from 16 to 18 September 2022 in Derbyshire. This event is exclusively for members. Find out more on the Convention 2022 Programme page.
Since it was formed, the Guild has collected thousands of items relating to domestic knitting and crochet in the UK. These are held at our headquarters.
The Collection consists of
Find out more about our Collection on our Collections pages.
Slipknot is our quarterly publication for members.
The March edition is available to members online.
You can see a list of past Slipknots here, and the page has links to versions that members can download.
The eighth edition of our publication for machine knitters is now available to members from the Members' area (you need to log in to see it).
Not a machine knitter? It is still worth a look - looking at how machine knitters do things might inspire you to look at your hand knitting or crochet in a different light - you might even be inspired to machine knitting for yourself!
This is a difficult time for everyone and it is affecting us all in very different ways. For us, as a Guild, it has meant that there is a delay in dealing with membership applications and renewals. Our volunteers are working as hard as they possibly can, so please do bear with us.
Our Branches are beginning to meet again but many have had to change their venues. Covid-19 is still with us, so arrangements are likely to change at short notice as Branches respond to latest Public Health guidance.
Many Branches are continuing to meet online, some in addition to their in-person meetings, and we have just set up an online Branch, so no matter how far you live from a Branch, you can meet online with fellow fibre crafters. See our Branches page for up to date details of Branches and their meetings.
Now that yarn shops are open again, please do make an extra effort to support them.
During Lockdown, we probably all got used to doing all our yarn shopping online but they really need us to return to them. There is nothing like seeing the true colour of a yarn or feeling it between your fingers - and you cannot do that online! If we don't use these shops, they will disappear.
All Guild members receive a fantastic range of benefits, from local meetings with like-minded enthusiasts to exclusive pattern downloads and discounts - and plenty more!
Join Today
Would you like to meet other crafters? Find a Branch, yarn shop or non-affiliated group near you on a map. Select a marker on the map and it will show you a link that gives more information about it.
Find branches
Janet Collins leads a discussion on unusual knitted and crocheted items.
Watch - members only
The Guild has branches around the country and you'll be more than welcome to come along to any meeting to see what we get up to. Click on our interactive map to find a branch or a yarn shop member near you.
A great way to use up your stash and give you an exciting little knitting project to get your needles round! Learn more here. The mystery blanket is made up of knitted squares - you can download a file with only the latest squares here. If anyone would like to do the same thing for crochet or machine knitting please let us know.
Together, the Guild's members possess a vast collective knowledge, practice and expertise about the crafts of hand knitting, machine knitting, and crochet.
In 2019 members of the Guild of Machine Knitters joined with members of the Knitting & Crochet Guild under the banner of the Knitting & Crochet Guild.
