For some time now I have been thinking that I would very much like to do a basket making course. I am so in love with my wicker basket and would love to learn the secrets of weaving. So imagine my delight when at the workshop I was teaching last night, who should set up next to me but the lovely people from the Hampshire Coppice Craftsmen’s Group. They were running demonstrations for the children on how to make wooden pegs and they could draw charcoal pictures too. One of the ways that the woodsmen are keeping their craft alive is to diversify the range of products that they make. Last night there was a wide selection of beautifully crafted items and I simply had to have this knitting dolly.
I love that they are using the leftover wood to make such useful things and that one traditional craft is producing things to keep other traditional crafts live – in this case knitting. Now I just need to find a spare ten minutes to hunt through my wool stash and find the perfect yarn to get started!
All about Sprout 
I used to use wooden cotton reels for making these ‘knitting dollies’… but alas cotton reels are all plastic now….but I like this idea!
Yes a very good use for old cotton reels! Its just so tactile and it will be lovely and warm in my hand.
I am really excited by this post ~ it brings back so many childhood memories including finger-knitting for so long during one summer holiday that it reached around my cousins rather large house. Thank you for bringing back thoughts of such lively times in my life. xx
And thank you for such a lovely comment Kath. What a great memory, I bet you were so chuffed that it was so long!
It took my cousin & I the entire summer plus a lot of wool. I remember very clearly rolling the large ball of finger knitting out & being all excited about it being long enough. Small things please small minds but I also now know that if you love craft as a child you will always love it! x
That sounds fantastic! Yes I agree with you on that, my Dad always used to say that if you stood still in my room as a child then you would get painted on!
What a lovely rustic bit of kit! Can’t wait to see what you make from your knitting. And the fabric it’s sitting on is pretty fab too – is it from the V&A collection?
You know your fabric! Yes it is a limited edition fat quarter from the V&A quilt exhibition.