Stitching Christmas Together!

Every so often, a project begins as a practical task and ends up becoming something far more meaningful. Our 100-metre knitted and crocheted paperchain started as a simple idea for The Longest Yarn Christmas season… and then it grew. And grew. And then grew some more.

But what truly brought it to life were the people behind it.

Over the past weeks, Debbie and Vanessa have worked tirelessly to get the entire paperchain sewn up. Meter after meter, link after link, they sat surrounded by yarn, needles, cups of tea, and a determination that can only be described as heroic. Their dedication turned hundreds of individual pieces – all made by different hands – into a single, flowing, beautiful chain ready to decorate our venues.

We quite literally could not have done this without them.

What happened around that task was just as special. As the paperchain grew, so did our little community. A simple suggestion turned into a Knit & Natter, where people popped in on line with their rectangles, stayed for a chat, shared stories, compared wool colours, and laughed their way through the darker winter afternoons.

For many, it was the first time in a while that they felt part of something warm and welcoming. For others, it became a weekly ritual. For everyone, it sparked that unmistakable feeling that Christmas is better when it’s shared.

The Longest Yarn has always been about connection — stitches linking stories, people linking arms, creativity linking generations. This paperchain has become a perfect symbol of that spirit. It’s not just decoration. It’s proof that when we each contribute a small piece, something extraordinary happens.

To everyone who knitted, crocheted, stitched, chatted, laughed, and encouraged: thank you for making this Christmas feel like a community again.

And to Debbie and Vanessa… you worked magic.