Guild started

The Kntting & Crochet Guild was founded in Preston on 27 April 1978 for practitioners in the crafts of hand knitting, machine knitting and crochet. Unlike other crafts, knitting and crochet did not until then have a British guild to promote, encourage and improve them.

From the start a journal, SlipKnot, was published. Although commercial magazines were available, the Guild's aim was to tackle the subjects of hand knitting, machine knitting and crochet at a higher technical level, encouraging critical approaches to technique and historical study and also recording contemporary developments.

Exhibitions, competitions and visits were organised and many local branches established.

Guild becomes a limited company

In 2005 the Knitting & Crochet Guild became a company registered in England and Wales with formal Memorandum and Articles of Association. This has enabled the Guild to pursue its objects which are to

"advance public knowledge and appreciation of the crafts of knitting and crochet particularly but not exclusively through the furtherance of skill and creativity in the said crafts and the preservation of the heritage of knitting and crochet".

Belonging to the knitting and crochet community

Although the Guild is well-established, our forward-looking members are enthusiastic about the extent of interest shown in the crafts both in the UK and internationally. That is why the themes of education, innovation and preservation remain a driving force for the future.