Knitting may have been distinctly uncool for their parents’ generation, but for today’s kids, it’s just fine to be caught with a ball of wool in your lap. A dedicated knitter since childhood, Kerry Kimber hit upon the idea of running knitting classes for young ones when her two sons started to show an interest.

‘They had none of the preconceptions a lot of other people have about it being a grannies activity,’ says Kimber. ‘So they didn’t see it as uncool, they just really enjoyed it and made some fabulous creations. I realised a lot of my friend’s children were interested in knitting, but most parents of my generation can’t knit because it wasn’t seen as cool in our day – so I could see there was a market for it.’

From there, Kids Knit was born, with Kimber running weekly classes for ages 5-14 from her home in Corstorphine and at the Imagination Workshop in Marchmont. Children decide themselves what they’d like to make, with Kimber gently guiding them as they produce everything from hand puppets and sea creatures to phone holders and hats. Kimber will also be holding drop-in workshops at Leith Gala on Sat 11 Jun and Craigie’s Farm on Sun 12 Jun, where you can make sheep and bumble bee pom poms.

A fine art tapestry graduate who then trained as a teacher, Kimber is convinced that as well as providing a creative outlet for children, knitting ticks several other important boxes. ‘It’s very good for simple maths,’ she says, ‘and for understanding shapes and how they fit together. Then, as the projects get harder, they’ve got to think about division and multiplication. It’s also quite therapeutic and relaxing, and once they can knit without thinking too much about the stitches, it’s brilliant socially because they all sit and chat with each other while they’re knitting.’

To find out more about Kids Knit, or the relaxed adult classes Kimber runs, visit Knittingforall.co.uk.