By Amy Papasergio

St Catherine’s College has many small clubs which are started by our very own residents. Recently we sat down with Ella Croft and Ben Quick, the co-creators of the St Catherine’s Grandma Club.

What is the Grandma Club about?

Ella: The Grandma Club is located in the foyer next to the fire pit, where we knit and crotchet on Tuesday nights, teaching people the basics the best we can. We are always looking for new residents to join us, no matter what level, and would like to expand our club to include Tatting, Sewing, and embroidering. Otherwise, we are there if you just want to sit, drink tea and relax for a while.

Ben: It’s been really fun, with so many people being involved. On a busy night, we can get around 10 people, coming and going, but we would love more advanced knitting veterans to come along. We can teach the basics, but we are a knowledge-sharing community and would always love to expand. We buy our own materials, such as knitting needles and yarn from Salvos, second-hand stores and the reject shop. There is also always lots of food, such as home-made cookies (made by a real-life genuine grandma), plenty of tea and one day we may even have pies.

Where did the idea for the club come from?

Ella: The Grandma Club was born from my desire to be a triple threat grandma, able to knit, crotchet and bake pies.

Ben: My grandma tried to teach me to knit multiple times when I was younger and then she taught my friend, who she decided was a better grandkid. Therefore, I had to learn in order not to be disowned. People see knitting and think it’s boring, but actually it is the most extreme sport I have ever been involved in. There are trials like nothing else, you may get three lines in and drop a stitch, then the past hour is meaningless. This was mainly because we initially didn’t learn how to back knit, which is how you can recover stitches. So, if we lost a stitch, that was it. Game over.

Ella: We first began knitting at the start of this semester and then decided to start the club. It was all thanks to Bethan and Jacqui, who joined our knitting session one night. They recommended we talk to Ava and so the Grandma Club was born.

Does the Grandma Club have any goals it aspires to?

Ben: We actually have an exciting new venture for the club. Through the work of Pooja Ramesh, we have partnered with PCH (Perth Children’s Hospital) and can now donate anything that people make at our sessions or outsource from family and friends. Once donated, PCH will then sell the knitted or crotched crafts and because they are handmade, they don’t have to put GST on it. Therefore, all the money can immediately go to the charity. We are aiming to make around 30 handmade crafts to donate to PCH.

Ella: We start new people off trying to make a square that can be knitted together for a blanket. Once they progress, they can knit scarves and even crotchet little animals, such as elephants, bears, and octopuses. It all goes to a great cause and we love sharing our knitting and crocheting knowledge with everyone.

Afterword:

You can join the Grandma Club on Tuesday nights from 7pm, which is located in the Foyer next to the fireplace. Otherwise, feel free to contact Ben Quick and Ella Croft if you have any questions.