It's knit so easy!

Oct 7 2008 by Jeff Holmes, Paisley Daily Express

I WAS really stitched up when I naively volunteered to take on the editor’s latest challenge to get in on the coolest new hobby which is sweeping the country.

The revival is astounding.

Stars and celebrities are getting in on the act.

So big Jeff here thought – ‘if they can do that so can I’.

And if not, it’s a good yarn to tell the grandchildren anyway.

So off I went and found myself just strolling into Paisley Central Library on a Tuesday night.

This is where the Ripping Yarns club has made sure that Buddies aren’t being left behind.

Which is all very well if you’ve got some idea about how to even hold the pins.

Not me though – I knew I would end up in a right fankle.

I was welcomed into the throng like a long-lost son.

A ball of yellow wool and some needles were immediately thrust into my expectant hands.

Now, in 1976, I used to sit and watch my Mum knit cardigans during the Starsky and Hutch commercial breaks.

However that’s the sum total of my experience.

Fast forward to October 2008 and I’m dropping in on Ripping Yarns, a knitting group with 10 members.

This is where chat ranges from a fellow knitter’s holiday in Alaska, to the jumper Chris knocked up with bamboo wool.

I admire the jumper but it just looks so good that she could have bought in on the High Street.

But I know otherwise.

Chris, 48, said: “I have been a member since the club started at Easter.

“I do it for fun, although I knitted 100 fluffy scarves last year!

“It all started when I decided to knit a scarf for one of my friends at Christmas.

“I finished it on time but then I just kept knitting, and knitting, and knitting...”

Then there’s also 73-year-old Helen Newark.

She describes herself as a ‘beginner’ and joined the group as a means of inspiring her to finish a jumper she began – 40 years ago!

She hasn’t quite got around to it yet.

But promised: “It’ll be ready for Christmas – although I’m not saying which one!”

Helen, from Gallowhill, added: “I go to both classes, the other is on a Friday morning.

“For me it’s as much about the company as it is about knitting.

“We have a great bunch of women here and we can have a natter, have a cup of tea and just indulge in some knitting.”

Linda McQueen, 60, also enjoys the company – I can see a pattern emerging here! – although she takes her knitting a bit more seriously.

This isn’t surprising as she’s been doing it for 53 years.

But she said: “My mum taught me how to knit when I was seven.

“She then decided to give me a refresher course when my exams were coming up.

“It’s a great way to relax and yes, I did pass.”

We’re only midway through the hour-and-a-half session and I am still only on the first row of my first sock.

The wool keeps falling off the needle and it’s starting to get rather frustrating.

Christine Ross comes to my aid.

She lays down one of the Bob the Builder scarves she’s working on for her two-year-old twin grandchildren and begins to show me how to cast on.

It’s really still not happening though.

Hang on, the 62-year-old from Underwood Road, is using THREE different colours at the same time. Wow!

But she insists: “It’s not that difficult.

“The biggest problem I encountered was in trying to re-size the pattern because the scarves are for two-year-olds.

“But I’m getting there.”

Yes, she sure is.

Marion Ferrier, 58, defected to Glenburn in Paisley from Greenock more than 40 years ago.

She enjoys passing on her skills to the newcomers who become part of the group.

Sadly, she couldn’t help me.

She said: “I get a lot out of the group. I love the company.

“I also enjoy helping others, who maybe aren’t quite as experienced as me.

“My pet hate is sewing though – my daughter does that.”

Well, there are just minutes remaining until the final stitches are cast on and my sock looks nothing like a sock.

It’s pathetic.

I find some comfort in the words of organiser Donna Muir, who tells me: “There’s always next week!”

Well, maybe not.

But the 41-year-old library assistant, who came up with the idea for the group, insisted that they could get anyone knitting.

She said: “If someone expresses an interest in joining, it really doesn’t matter a jot whether they can knit or not.

“We’ll soon help them to get started.

“It’s a really relaxing way to enjoy a couple of hours and the great thing about knitting is you can do it anywhere.”

She added: “The class has been going since just before Easter and all the women get on extremely well.

“We’re not just knitting colleagues, we’ve all became such really good friends.

“So much so, that we’re planning an excursion to a craft fair at the SECC in Glasgow soon.”

Well, it’s time to go, and my ‘sock’ has been ripped out and returned to its rightful home.

That is, of course, the ball of wool.

I’ve really been in stitches listening to all of the women.

But next time I think I’m going to try rocket science instead.

It really just looks so much easier.

l Ripping Yarns’ meet at Paisley Central Library every second Tuesday evening from 6.30pm until 8pm.

The group also meet every other Friday morning from 11am till 12.30pm. If you want more information on the club you can call Donna on 0141 887 3672.