The Spring Knitting & Stitching Show

The Spring Knitting & Stitching Show is one of London’s most acclaimed events for textile lovers and takes place on 3rd-6th March 2016 at London Olympia. Whether you’re an expert knitter, established textile designer or a complete newcomer to dress-making or crochet, the show has something for everyone.

With hundreds of workshops, demonstrations and interactive features to professionally-curated galleries showcasing the work of some of the UK’s leading textile artists, this unique event is the perfect place to be inspired, learn new skills and meet like-minded people. Over 200 specialist companies, from sewing machine manufacturers to yarn makers, will also be on hand, selling a huge range of essential knitting, sewing and craft supplies.

Show features include:

Textile Galleries: professionally-curated exhibitions by six leading UK textile artists: Jessica Dance, Louise Baldwin, Mary Sleigh and Jan Miller, Michelle House; Nigel Cheney; and The Quilters’ Guild.

The Create and Craft Theatre: free demonstrations by leading lights of the knitting and stitching world including the Great British Sewing Bee’s Matt Chapple, Chinelo Bally and Lauren Guthrie.

The Dressmaking Studio: from dressmaking newcomers to those with higher level skills, experts are on hand to explain the basics, from buttonholes, hems and seam finishing to zip insertion and understanding patterns.

The Inspiration Station: learn cross stitch with students from the Royal School of Needlework, enjoy embroidered entries from the Young Embroiderers’ De Denne competition and feast your eyes on incredible new work by fresh new embroidery talent, introduced by Mr X Stitch, Jamie Chalmers.

The Knitted Feast Competition: knitters of all abilities from across the UK are joining forces to create a competition feast that looks good enough to eat - a life-size 3D knitted and crochet banquet. Crafters can either create their own food item or download a Susie Johns knitted fruit and vegetable pattern from the show’s website.

The National Fashion Textiles Competition: now in its third year, this hard-fought competition to find the UK’s most talented young fashion textile designers aged 16 to 19 attracts hundreds of entries. After a superb collection of entries, the judging team will announce an overall winner at the show on Thursday 3rd March. Visitors can see this year’s 20 shortlisted designs displayed within a dedicated gallery at the show.

'Try me': a yarny wonderland, in association with TOFT: this interactive yarn sweet shop has been designed to whet every crafter’s appetite. Created by alpaca wool expert Kerry Lord, the knitting team at TOFT will explain the difference between wool, silk, cotton and alpaca.

UK Hand Knitting Association – Drop In Knitting & Crochet Experience: if you’re new to textile crafts, why not learn from the best? Expert volunteers from the UK Hand Knitting Association will be teaching knitting and crochet free of charge while more advanced crafters can get advice from the team about any knitting or crochet challenge they’re having.