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The community crafters  | | | | | As the streets of Brixton wake up to their Sunday, the ground floor of a 12-story building is full of laughter, chatter and the rhythmic tapping of knitting needles. It’s a workshop of Craft Forward. Making blankets for the homeless and crafting a vital community in the process. | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | Back row left to right: Oliver, Rosy, Alessandro, Hana, Chique, Lamiya
Front row left to right: Brittany, Elena, Elza, Tobias | | |
| | So how did Craft Forward start? | | | | Elena: It started with Blankets For Lambeth. At the end of 2020, we were again in lockdown. I’d learnt how to knit from my grandma over the first lockdown while I was living with her in Italy, and it helped me a lot with mental health. | | |
| | | | Elena: There was this big charity in Italy that were donating blankets to people that are homeless. And I thought ‘do you know what, I could do that here in Lambeth’. And it started with me and a little Instagram post. This past year we made 44 blankets which was absolutely insane. | | |
| | | | What makes Craft Forward so important? | | | | Alessandro: You don’t often see something that impacts the community in a practical, straightforward way. | | |
| | | | | | | | Oliver: I can remember the first time I came, I was concentrating so hard I didn’t say a word. But it’s just nice hearing other people’s conversations. A diverse group of people. Different age groups, different backgrounds. And it doesn’t matter if you’re good or rubbish at it. | | | | Elena: I wasn’t born in England and when I moved to London, I was very new. I was on my own. With Craft Forward, I’ve found my people. The place I feel comfortable. | | |
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