—Photos by Salma Abdulla Kuwait celebrates Worldwide Knit in Public Day

More than 40 crafters including those who knit, crochet, do needlepoint, cross stitch, embroidery and other needle crafts gathered to celebrate Worldwide Knit in Public Day (WWKIPD). Begun in 2005 by Danielle Landes as a way to bring knitters together in public, the event is celebrated globally. Thanks to the efforts of Kuwait Crafters and organizer Bharti Chopra, Kuwait has officially taken part in WWKIP Day for the past three years. The Kuwait version of the WWKIPD has grown from eight attendees to more than three dozen who gathered on Saturday, June 10, 2017 at the Boulevard shopping mall to celebrate fiber arts and the joy of crafting with others.

Saturday’s event brought crafters of many nationalities and different backgrounds, ages from 8 to 60+, together under one roof for the love of knitting, crocheting, and stitching. The Knit in Public Day slogan of “better living through stitching together” reinforces the well-documented benefits of crafting such as alleviating stress, anxiety and depression. It is also a means of showing the general public that crafting can be a community activity in a very distinct way.

Children can also benefit from learning needle crafts like knitting or crochet, which have been demonstrated to help with fine motor skills, reducing stress and even learning things like coding due to the ability to read patterns. Each Knit in Public event is organized by volunteers. Kuwait Crafters is proud to host this event and was pleased this year to welcome local entrepreneurs and small businesses Needles and Yarn, Zephyr, Whiskers and Yarn and Made by Mrs Q as prize sponsors. Crafters can learn more by searching for Kuwait Crafters on Facebook or Ravelry.