The Stitch’n’Bitch society are LUU’s unsung heroes

Leeds has a vast number of societies to ensure everyone can fulfill their unsated desires, whether you’re a scout, a gospel singer, or a champion Quidditch player. Then we have Stitch’n’Bitch, fighting since circa 2006 to put knitting on the map.

Meeting every Monday evening in the Hidden Cafe, Stitch’n’Bitch describe themselves as a “a sociable gathering themed around crafting and creating”, who meet up to do exactly as their name suggests. Intrigued, I headed down to a session to see if the two went hand-in-hand.

Alternative uses for knitting needles were discovered – head massage?

It wasn’t a great start, as my yarn was so complex it had to be taken over by a more experienced member of the team in order to find its pesky end. Despite being a knitting newbie, I was welcomed with open arms and taken under the wing of some exceedingly patient pros who showed me the art of ‘”casting-on”. Then I was away, although admittedly at the pace of a severely crippled slug.

Perhaps I expected bitching to be a natural by-product of stitching – they do rhyme after all. Much to my surprise I was not overcome with an insuppressible urge to dish the dirt. It was the poor quality of my knitting which took the real brunt of the bitching, but maybe this is where the name comes from.

Elation

Knitting has been praised for its therapeutic qualities  and once the first two agonising hours of dropped stitches and even a few dropped needles was over, a pretty satisfying flow/ equilibrium could be achieved. While puppies reign now as exam stress relief, this could be the next big thing.

The conversation was certainly riveting – it was an eccentric gathering and a whole hipster stitchin’ subculture was revealed to me. What started off as one girl’s story of the “Bonkers” nature of her knitting ended with the exploration of websites such as “Fuck yeah geek and nerd knits!”*

You can certainly spend a happy hour or two on that one. At one point I was sure I heard whispers of an “edible knitted thong” – we can only imagine the logistics of such a piece.

Our Snapchat stories told the whole sorry tale (yarn)

So, if you ever find yourself at a loose end on a Monday evening, Stitch ‘n’ Bitch awaits. Membership is free and, if nothing else, the Hidden Cafe has an excellent brownie selection.

*For your pleasure.