Knitwit magic spreads to eastern suburbs

Press, 31 January 1984, Page 12

Knitwit magic spreads to eastern suburbs

Just a year after the first Christchurch Knitwit shop opened in Riccarton, a second Knitwit is bringing the same skills and fabrics to the eastern suburbs.

The Linwood Knitwit opens tomorrow in a bright, new building in Buckleys road. Its proprietor, Mrs Ellen Kitto, is enthusiastic about the opportunities the new branch offers to people in the district.

In the heart of a major shopping area and with

ample facilities, the shop makes all the Knitwit products, fabrics and advice available to “certified knitwits” who live on the east side of the city, as well as offering to newcomers the stretch-sewing courses for which the organisation has become famous.

Mrs Kitto has been associated with Knitwit since its opening in Riccarton, where she worked first as a sales assistant, later as a tutor.

Having followed the success of the Knitwit idea round the country, Mrs Kitto and her husband, John, were keen to open a shop of their own.

Linwood seemed to be an obvious area, partly because the family lives in the east of the city, but also because it would make Knitwit accessible to a large number of people for whom the distance to Riccarton is prohibitive.

The premises they chose are in a new development, with a small showroom at street level and a much larger space on the first floor giving plenty of room

for both the retail and the teaching aspects of the business. The interior is light and cheerful, highlighted by the distinctive green, white and purple colour scheme that singles out Knitwit shops all over the country. A large, modern teaching classroom takes up one end of the premises, ready for the first stretch-sewing courses which start on February 20 and 21. In eight two-hour sessions, Mrs Kitto says, students will learn every stage of sewing knit fabrics, from cutting out to machining, fitting and finishing garments. At the end of the basic Knitwit course participants will have learned the techniques necessary to make—and many will have completed—a classic suit, lingerie, trousers and skirts, and a variety of leisure wear that includes shorts, T-shirts and sweatshirts. It makes no difference, Mrs Kitto says, whether students are competent

home dressmakers or firsttime sewers. The course teaches new techniques and easy ways of doing things to people who already know how to sew; while for those with no experience it allows a level of success and practical achievement far greater than in conventional sewing. The Knitwit courses also dispel the myth that onlj' sewing machines with a special stretch stitch can be used successfully for knit fabrics. Any machine will do, Mrs Kitto says, from a treadle to overlocker, if the right techniques are used. The secret of Knitwit’s success, however, seems to lie less in the products and services available than in the atmosphere of the shops. The warmth and friendliness of the staff is as genuine as their desire to help and the camaraderie between “knitwits” gives the shops an air more of a social club than of a business. “People ring up for advice when they get stuck, or call in to the shop with their sewing,” Mrs Kitto says. “Sometimes they just call in for a chat—we’re always

pleased to seem them. “After classes, many of the students stay on for a cup of coffee and to browse through the fabrics and trimmings in the shop. We’re alwaj's open for half-an-hour before and after classes, and this is a good time to help sort out any individual needs our students might have.”

As well as Mr Kitto, who works in an administrative capacity in the shop, the Linwood Knitwit will have the benefit of the experience of Mrs Jenny Cassie, a well-known machine knitter and fully-fledged “knitwit.” Miss Joy Hammond, a representative of Pfaff sewing machines, will also be on hand every day to discuss any queries customers may have about their sewing machines and to demonstrate the Pfaff range. Miss Hammond organises regular classes teaching sewing machine technique, which help would-be “knitwits” to make the best use of their existing sewing machines. Mrs Kitto is thrilled with the response of people in the area to the new Knitwit. Even though the shop does not open until tomorrow, enquiries have almost filled the first training course. One definite place in the clas of about 25 will be filled by John Kitto, who has himself been bitten by the Knitwit bug. John will be the first man in Christchurch to have enrolled in a Knitwit course and says he is looking forward to the experience. The background knowledge and practical experience he gains from the course will help to make him an effective member of the Knitwit team, not just in the office, but out on the shop-floor, where all the fun happens, he says.