Black Girl Knit Club have created a safe, inclusive and encouraging space for Black women to build their confidence and develop skills in craft.
Black Girl Knit Club was founded in early 2019 by Sicgmone Kludje & Vea Koranteng. The pair worked together on creative projects before laying the foundation to create their platform.
They were motivated to start Black Girl Knit Club (BGKC) after following the social media hashtag #diversknitty, where different knitwear designers and makers were calling for more diversity within the craft community due to lack of visibility. As friends they wanted to create a safe and inclusive space for Black women creatives; to gather, share stories and inspire each other through craft skills and more importantly develop their creativity whilst equipping the next generation with a new skill.
Since launching they have built an amazing community of 600+ subscribers and members that attend monthly workshops and online tutorials.
In March 2022 they released their first book Conscious Crafts: Knitting – 20 Mindful Makes in which “they unpick the meditative nature of the knitting process and its empowering skill set for creating, well-being and mindfulness.” Making is mindfulness made practical, and knitting is an iconic craft proven to have a therapeutic impact on well-being. Sicgmone and Vea Koranteng curated 20 modern makes, ranging from plant pot cosies to throws and snoods, to introduce the basics of knitting. Covering fundamental stitches and techniques including casting on, knit, pearl and moss stitch, Sicgmone and Vea show how these can be adapted for different projects as well as repurposing used textiles into your own upcycled yarn, all whilst embracing the restorative benefits of craft.
Packed with inspiring ideas and practical guidance, Conscious Crafts: Knitting gives readers the simple skills to get started with this fulfilling craft, and explores how the joy of creating your own unique makes can nurture your well-being. Clean photography, contemporary step-by step illustrations and mindful mantras are neatly knitted together to celebrate the art of knitting for a handmade future.
The Conscious Crafts series places mindfulness and well-being at the heart of making. “Picking out proven meditative crafts and bespoke authors, these practical, contemporary guides are an inviting introduction to reconnecting head, heart, and hands. “
Overall, the main focus at BGKC is to empower women through craft. They have listened to many stories especially in the UK where women of colour and Black Women especially have felt that they do not fit in at their local craft maker groups or yarn stores because of the stark disconnect in culture and community and it’s one of the reasons why they founded the club because representation matters.
Their book was published on 15th March 2022 in the UK with Quatro Publishing and on April 21st March in the US it is available at most retail stores.
