We love to knit, but knitting isn't just for fun. Every half-term or so we will be profiling a maker who uses knitting in their work to highlight the ways people have made a career out of their knitting.

Celia Pym is a textile artist. She teaches art in secondary schools part-time and works for ReachOutRCA at the Royal College of Art. When she was 28 years old she decided she wanted to learn more about knitting, and went back to school to study for an MA in Textiles at the RCA. This is what she says about her work:

I started knitting in 2001 as a warm up activity. To get me settled in my studio I would knit to ready my fingers and get thinking. I soon discovered that I would knit for whole afternoons. The warm up became my main project. The wool I had decided to knit with, at that time was red since the most exciting wool in the shop was red coloured. Since there was a red line on the subway system where I was living I would knit the red knitting riding the red line. After the red knitting, the next idea was to measure a journey around Japan. I was sponsored by the Gardner fellowship and made a journey to collect yarns from all over Japan, to knit everyday and to climb mountains. And in my everyday knitting I measured out the journey I was making. The idea for this journey came when a teacher pointed out that knitting was a portable art form. I could carry with me everything I needed. I collected needles and yarn as I went and otherwise travelled light, with only a small backpack. So it was portable and also offered an introduction and purpose to being in Japan. Everywhere I went I had to explain I was looking for wool. I would often knit outdoors or in public places. I work with process and ways of recording activities. Now I darn – looking for holes in people’s clothes and the stories that accompany them. I repair these holes and return the mended garments. It is a way to briefly make contact with strangers. I am interested in the spaces the body occupies and the ways in which we go about ordinary life.

We are happy to announce the first Craft Club competition winner is Lindens Primary. Celia chose the selected image as her favourite.

Celia says:

Linden's Primary School definitely stood out for me. It looks like they had a great time on the Rainforest project and impressive with so many people involved. I wish I had been there it looks like they had lots of fun! The picture that made me laugh and I love is this one - it's brilliant!