I'd like to teach the world to knit

but I can't, because I'm left handed.

We've had two knitting events over the past two weeks (we being the Brockley Knits group I help run) and I've dismally failed to teach anyone to knit properly. Right-handed, that is.

The Brockley Knits knitting tent, complete with knitted bunting and pompoms

I first realised that showing someone how to knit when one of you is left-handed and the other right-handed is a problem at our Knit Night at the Brockley Max festival.

Having a camera and video camera in my face while I tried to show a complete beginner how to cast on didn't exactly help. But nor did trying to compensate for my left-handed ways by attempting to work out how a right-hander would wrap the yarn. It was a right mess and only got worse the more I tried. A good job other people were on hand to show newcomers how to get started and pass on their knitting skills.

It was a great night and we were really pleased with the attendance and got many compliments for the knitted bunting and 'paper' chains we'd strung around the venue. Mostly not our doing, but it was nice to decorate the place. We've even been asked to knit some for permanent display at Mr Lawrence Wine Bar, our fortnightly knitting night venue.

Last weekend, we took Brockley Knits properly public. We had a large open tent up on Hilly Fields and welcomed anyone who wished to to join us in knitting or making pompoms. Our was just one of many activities that people could join in with - face painting, making felt butterflies, creating a graphic novel, taking part in the Animal Magic Carnival Parade or simply hanging out, enjoying the live bands, dancers, craft stalls, farmers' market, bar and brand-new cafe. Brockley Max's final day is always a great day out.

Again, I had the left-handed issue when it came to teaching the basics of knitting. It transpires that my self-taught method of casting on is different from other people's too. Well, it works for me. Anyway, creating a slip knot, then a second loop that you then slip on to the same needle as the first loop shouldn't be as awkward as I manage to make it look. Once you've got the idea of what it is that you want to achieve, which hand you hold the yarn in and which direction you slip your stitches shouldn't matter all that much. A few people were happy to be shown how to knit lefthanded as they figured they were trying it out for size anyway. Ruth spent ages teaching people how to cast on and knit the more usual way and there were always pompoms for anyone who didn't fancy knitting at all.

Quite a few people came along, pulled up a chair and knitted circular chains or bunting, while many more came over and talked about the knitters in their family and expressed an interest in perhaps coming along to a daytime or evening knit sometime. The day was really about meeting knitters and generally getting our name out there, and it couldn't have gone better. We'll be knitting in Brockley again soon - and not just when it's officially World Wide Knit in Public Week.