What do celebrities Sienna Miller, Sarah Jessica Parker, Julia Roberts, Uma Thurman . . . and a group of trendy Otley women have in common?

A passion for knitting.

Once a hobby for grannies it has become increasingly hip over the years with even movie heart-throb Russell Crowe being spotted with a pair of needles.

In recent years a resurgence in the craft has seen knitting groups form all over the country as women – and men – reclaim the ancient tradition.

Now a group of women of all ages have started meeting at Otley Courthouse to keep up with the trend in Wharfedale.

They meet once a week to share skills, swap patterns and keep up with the latest in wool trends.

And, with years of experience between them, they are shaping up to become ‘the group’ to join in the market town.

Kate Garner, 76, who has been knitting since she was five, said: “The group is growing bigger all the time. We started just over three months ago and gradually are seeing new members.

“There are young people as well as older people in the group although, at the moment, no men!”

Kate was taught how to knit back in 1938 when the traditional craft was still at the height of fashion.

She said: “There was strong tradition of knitting in my family. My grandmother, mother and all my aunties knitted – everything from tea cosies to cardigans and scarves.

“Once I learned to do it I was hooked. I do it all the time, I couldn’t just sit in front of the television with nothing to do – it’s relaxing.”

Kate decided to get involved with the group back when it formed three months ago to make new friends in the area. She had recently lost her husband and moved to Otley from Riddlesden to be nearer her daughter.

She said: “It’s been great for me to come here. We just sit and put the world to rights for a couple of hours on a Tuesday.

“We have new members coming forward all the time so I’m always meeting new people. It can be an expensive hobby but it is incredible to start something right from scratch and make something at the end of it.”

Once theory for the popularity of the group, whose youngest member is just 16, is the recession. Knitters are able to make their own garments at a fraction of the price it would cost in designer stores and end up with a very unique outfit.

Pauline Seddon, 60, who has been knitting for 50 years, said: “I think because of the current climate we will see a huge rise in the number of people getting involved in traditional crafts.

“What better way to get a cheap but nice outfit. There are lots of trendy designs on the internet these days which you can easily download and you can make everything from a baby outfit to a bedspread.”

It is believed that knitting in one form or another dates back to before the birth of Christ.

According to website enzinearticles.com, a pair of knitted socks was discovered in Egyptian tombs from the third to sixth centuries AD.

The earliest knitting needle was a brass rod that dates back to the early Iron Age and spinning wool started around 4000 BC near the Mediterranean Sea.

The website states that the origins of the craft are difficult to trace but one theory is that it grew out of the knitting of fish nets by men.

The site says “Most historians agree it was probably spread by Arabian sailors and merchants who travelled throughout the Mediterranean.”

In more recent years the craft became largely associated with women and was passed down through the generations alongside crocheting, lace-making and sewing.

But it fell out of fashion in the 1980s as cheaper ‘throwaway’ fashion items came into vogue.

With a society hooked on fast returns, the act of hand knitting was briefly overtaken by machine knitting in the home but with the rise of the ‘yuppie culture’ even this fell away.

However, the craft became popular again in the new millennium, with a number of high-profile celebrities leading the trend.

Thirty-nine-year-old Kirsty Clarke, who learned the craft aged seven, said: “When I was growing up it was really untrendy to knit but I never really cared what other people thought and carried on doing it.

“When I had my daughter, Rhianon, 16 – who is now a member of the group – none of the other mums were knitting, just me. Some grandparents still did it but none of the mums around me at that time.

“But I carried on and now have learnt to dye my own woollens. I’m starting up in business online and have passed my skills on to my daughter. Knitting is great fun and you really feel a great sense of achievement when you get involved in it.”

At one time, due to a decline in the trend, finding decent patterns and wool became difficult.

Kirsty said: “There is nothing locally but a new shop has just opened in Headingley with some very interesting wools and patterns.

“I use all sorts of materials when I am dying wool, from food dies, to fizzy drinks! I knit baby clothes, hats, scarves – all sorts of things.”

Natassia Stewart, 16, said: “I first learned from my grandmother when I was about six. It is nice to come here and meet people of all ages and there is a really friendly atmosphere.

“Everyone helps and it’s a lovely place to meet and learn.”

The group is at the moment content to meet once a week during the day at the Courthouse.

Member Pauline Seddon said: “We are aware that there are people who won’t be able to meet during the day. But at the moment it is lovely being here – with the singing group in full swing in the background.”

The group meets between 12.30pm and 2.30pm every Tuesday at Otley Courthouse. Anyone is welcome to join.

  • For more information telephone Otley Courthouse on 01943 467216.