When the dark comes early, many of us reach for our knitting. And more and more people want to knit with others, not just alone on the sofa.
Right now knitters are gathering all over the Nordic countries, at parties, at fairs and online. Here are three ways to join in, whether you want to go out or stay at home.
A knitting meet-up near you
Knitting cafés, knitting evenings at the library and meet-ups in the yarn shop exist in many places. You bring whatever you are working on, and get help when you are stuck. Often it is the conversation that brings you back.
Some gatherings are bigger than others this winter:
- The Swedish knitting association, Sticka!, holds Stickafest on Saturday 14 November.
- Novita takes part in the craft and design fair Kädentaidot in Tampere on 13–15 November.
- Novita and the cinema chain Finnkino hold a knitting screening at cinemas in ten places in Finland on 24 November.
- Rett & Vrang Julegalla is a festive evening for knitters at Scandic Bergen City on 12 December, with a knitting salon after dinner.
If you cannot find anything where you live, ask in the yarn shop or at the library. Many meet-ups are only announced there.
A KAL online
KAL stands for knit-along. Many people knit the same project at the same pace, and share pictures along the way. You knit at home, but follow how the others are getting on.
Novita starts a shared advent calendar on 1 December, where everyone knits the same colourwork blanket. Here in the Knit Diary the advent calendar also opens on 1 December, with a new door every day until Christmas Eve.
A variation of its own is the mystery knit-along. You get the pattern in small parts, and nobody knows what the garment looks like until the last part is released. Several of these start on Ravelry now in November: one releases six small patterns over five weeks from 12 November, another gives a new clue every week from 18 November.
A KAL suits you well if you like a plan. You know what to knit this week, and nobody minds if you are a little behind.
In January we knit together here at CosyMonday. From Monday 11 January we knit Easy Lover – The Sweater over four weeks. Share your pictures with #cosymondaykal.
A knitting evening at home
The simplest way is to invite someone over. It does not need to be more than tea, something to eat and a small project each.
- Choose something that can take a conversation. Garter stitch, stocking stitch and simple ribbing work fine while you talk. Patterns with charts do not.
- Bring some spare needles and a ball of yarn. Then anyone who has not knitted for a long time can start straight away.
- Knit the same thing. If everyone chooses a hat or a neck warmer, you can help each other where the pattern gets difficult.
- Make it a regular evening. Once a month is enough to make it something to look forward to.
A Sky Full of Stars – The Neck is knitted in garter stitch with buttons at the side, and suits an evening where your hands work while you talk. Red – The Beanie is a short project that is good to knit together.
Why together
I knit a lot on my own. But it is when I knit with others that I learn the most, and laugh the most. Someone shows you a trick you have never seen. Someone else tells you why they started knitting. The garment is the same, but the evening is a different one.
Did you know …
The first written source on knitting in Norway is a court case in Bergen in 1634, about Lisbet Pedersdatter, who knitted stockings. During the Second World War there were campaigns to knit for soldiers, and since the 2010s new knitting communities have grown up, both online and in real life, with festivals, cafés and courses.
Sources: Sticka! Sveriges Stickförening, Novita, Ravelry, Knitvent 2026, Ravelry, Just for You 13, Fjord Norway, Rett & Vrang Julegalla 2026 and Store norske leksikon.
Anne-Turid <3