Now Streaming: My Knitting Circle Will Warm You Up this Winter

“If I lived in some hot country, I might have more serotonin in my brain, but I wouldn’t be able to wear my sweaters all the time,” says Sarah, one of the knitters in My Knitting Circle. This upbeat documentary from director Alexandra Knowles, now streaming for free from the National Film Board of Canada, invites audiences to cozy up with a close-knit community up in Whitehorse. It might not be balmy way up north, but, as Sarah notes, the cold has its comforting, and sometimes stylish, trade-offs.

The film takes a personal cue from Knowles’ own travels. She opens the film by explaining how she always finds a knitting circle when moving to a new place. In this case, her move to Whitehorse brings her to the Itsy-Bitsy Yarn Store. The bright and colourful oasis in the snowy Yukon city illustrates how knitting circles offer great ways to stitch together a sense of community. The film introduces audiences to fellow knitters like Heather, Ezra, Nicole, and Lily as they share a ritual of slowing down and making conversation while keeping their hands busy. It’s a Zen kind of interaction. Knitting a scarf, hat, or cardigan forces members of the circle to make conversation to pass the time, but also to find offbeat characters in a city, which can often be isolating for newcomers.

“Knitting gives you something to do with your hands and eyes,” Knowles says in her director’s notes. “It can be easier to communicate while looking at something else and having a tactile sensation in your hands while in a group. And you have progress to show for your time together!”

Besides the camaraderie of the knitters, the documentary offers a picturesque view of Whitehorse that might inspire a trip to the artisanal community up north. At the very least, My Knitting Circle will warm you spirit amid the winter blahs.

Watch My Knitting Circle below from the NFB.

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