If Mags Reid’s actual smile was as wide as her phone smile, I was looking forward to visiting her knit and natter group. Just chatting on the telephone, I can tell she’s a bubbly lady with an infectious personality.
She speaks fondly of her group: “There are about 14 to 16 now at all different levels of proficiency: from complete beginners through to long-standing members.
“Some come to knit, some prefer to crochet. We have some right-handed knitters, some left-handed knitters, and some who don’t knit at all…. everyone is welcome.”
When I visit Maggie’s Yarn Buddies, now based in the Improving Lives Hub in Dalmuir, the first thing I notice is the atmosphere of quiet industriousness.
Everyone is engrossed in their own personal projects. Every now and again, a wee thread of discussion begins, and everyone can feel free to chip in.
If you want to “natter” – you can or, if you prefer, you can simply just listen. The air is one of comfortable companionship, like family almost, where you can be yourself and chat about anything and everything…
You definitely feel that vibe – no wonder the members come back week after week.
Everybody Wants To Help
Sessions take place every Wednesday from 10.30am – 2.30pm and cost £2 weekly.
Proceeds buy materials, tea and coffee, biscuits and treats – a wee pressy at Christmas or a day out in the summer.
The members tell me they’ve been to see ‘Legally Blonde’ at the Town Hall and visited the Hill House in Helensburgh.
Mags laughs: “The ladies are quite embracing: there are no shenanigans. Everybody wants to help…”
And help they have! Many charities and organisations have benefited over the years from the group’s handiwork.
From little octopi for premature babies, hats for the homeless, Trauma Teddies for Police Scotland, hearts for the NHS and critically ill Covid patients during lockdown and, since Covid, more knitted hearts for the child patients at Robin House Hospice.
There is an ongoing project for Erskine Hospital with each member knitting five poppies a week to be ready to go on sale at Specsavers for £2 per poppy, at Remembrance time. To date this has raised over £1, 300 for the charity.
Another recent project has been crocheting boobs to use for training young nurses how to teach young mums to breastfeed…You name it, they have made it!
Mags twinkles: “We made Worry Worms during Covid and left them in bus shelters with a wee poem to comfort folks. Bags of Love also included them in their vital backpacks for foster children.”
Mags speaks of feeling “a wee sense of pride for all the group has achieved.”
Making A Difference
Everything the group do must make a huge difference to the recipient.
They either knit or crochet something to help someone at a low point in their life, creating items which immediately make their situation a bit better, such as Hats for the Homeless, or they take part in uplifting projects to brighten up the place.
These include knitted postbox toppers or yarn-bombing down at the Bowling Basin and, most recently, their felted heritage wall-hanging…
This was from a creative storytelling project run by Clydesider and facilitated by Lynne McGill from Lin Pin Crafts, with the group learning the new skill of felting to make a tapestry style wall hanging.
Mags explains: “At first, we were reluctant to leave our knitting behind as we didn’t know what to expect, but then, as time went on, we actually enjoyed felting as it was a very mindful activity.
“Through storytelling, we created our very own tapestry to reflect the heritage of Dalmuir and Clydebank, as well as the history of our group.”
The group describe how it worked: “We all collaborated to decide what parts of our heritage to illustrate so we have shipbuilding, sewing machines and the Clydebank Blitz.
“There’s also the Dalmuir clock and the Improving Lives logo, as well as projects we have worked on. Felting was a very different process from knitting. We were very quiet as we had to concentrate intensely. You have to stab the material with a sharp needle and every so often you could hear ‘ouch!’”
“Yes, it was very therapeutic, but we missed our knitting…”
Happily Crafting
I look around.
Someone has finished another poppy, another has completed a knitted hairband and the lady next to me is knitting on a circular needle which intrigues me: “How can you work out when it gets to the end of the row?”
“Easy,” she laughs, as she showed me a nifty little hack.
Another lady adds: “You see, not only do we have the social aspect and a way to get out of the house, we also have fun, friendship and a sharing of expertise!”
Mags jokes: “Maybe we can hook you in too?”
“I’m already hooked,” I reply.
“But unfortunately, I have Clydesiders on a Wednesday morning…”
“Come along afterwards,” Mags adds, undeterred. “We’re here until 2.30pm.”
And she smiles a smile as huge as her phone smile…
