Australia's National
Prison Newspaper

Australia's National
Prison Newspaper

ISSUE NO. 11

June 2025

Donate Here

News and Investigations

Knitting in Prison: Great Balls of Fibre!

Welcome to Great Balls of Fibre, the very popular weekly knitting group at Risdon Prison’s Ron Barwick Minimum Security Prison – the brainchild of volunteer Sam, who facilitates knitting groups in the community, and Elise, Creative Learning Officer and queen Pom Pom maker at Risdon Prison.

By

Sam

Sam writes about how he first got into knitting and the difference it is making for those on the inside.

We call him ‘Mother Clukka’

Font Size
Font Size
Line Height
Line Height
Dyslexia Friendly
Black & White
Hide Images
Night Mode

No-one’s life pans out quite the way they might expect, but it should never be too late to try and get back on course. Every man deserves opportunities to become the best man they can possibly be.

My mother and grandmother could both knit and crochet. In fact my grandmother could do just about anything. I learned the basics as a child and then didn’t bother with it for many years. I picked up some unhealthy habits as an adult, and about 10 years ago I replaced one bad habit with a good one. I started by trying to knit a little baby beanie – it wasn’t great, but I could see the potential.

Interestingly, knitting has historically been a men’s craft. It’s inexpensive, transportable, plus there’s a bucket of research to demonstrate knitting is about much more than just making things. It exercises memory and fine motor skills, it calms, reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, it can distract from negative thoughts…the list goes on and on.

The first beanies the gents completed! Many have never knitted before, and those who have came with only the most rudimentary skills.

No-one’s life pans out quite the way they might expect, but it should never be too late to try and get back on course. Every man deserves opportunities to become the best man they can possibly be.

My mother and grandmother could both knit and crochet. In fact my grandmother could do just about anything. I learned the basics as a child and then didn’t bother with it for many years. I picked up some unhealthy habits as an adult, and about 10 years ago I replaced one bad habit with a good one. I started by trying to knit a little baby beanie – it wasn’t great, but I could see the potential.

Interestingly, knitting has historically been a men’s craft. It’s inexpensive, transportable, plus there’s a bucket of research to demonstrate knitting is about much more than just making things. It exercises memory and fine motor skills, it calms, reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, it can distract from negative thoughts…the list goes on and on.

The first beanies the gents completed! Many have never knitted before, and those who have came with only the most rudimentary skills.
Get the full paper in print each month.

6-Month Subscription:

Physical copy of About Time delivered to your home or organisation each month for six months. Paid upfront.

Subscribe for $70

12-Month Subscription:

Physical copy of About Time delivered to your home or organisation each month for twelve months. Paid upfront.

Subscribe for $125

We started [the knitting group] in January this year and get together for two hours every week. Eight gents come along to each session, and we have a waiting list to join. Each week our core group turns up enthusiastically and on time.

Our skills are improving, and our first beanies are off the needles. We ran an informal evaluation after eight weeks, and here are a few of the comments that we heard:

  • “It’s relaxing. Teaches me patience”
  • “It’s a great social outlet”
  • “Takes my mind off other things”
  • “I felt proud telling my family I was knitting”
  • “I sleep better on a Wednesday after this session”
  • “I feel a sense of achievement”.

The group is currently run in Ron Barwick Minimum Security facility for men. We endeavour to go to medium in the near future.

We started [the knitting group] in January this year and get together for two hours every week. Eight gents come along to each session, and we have a waiting list to join. Each week our core group turns up enthusiastically and on time.

Our skills are improving, and our first beanies are off the needles. We ran an informal evaluation after eight weeks, and here are a few of the comments that we heard:

  • “It’s relaxing. Teaches me patience”
  • “It’s a great social outlet”
  • “Takes my mind off other things”
  • “I felt proud telling my family I was knitting”
  • “I sleep better on a Wednesday after this session”
  • “I feel a sense of achievement”.

The group is currently run in Ron Barwick Minimum Security facility for men. We endeavour to go to medium in the near future.

Leave a Comment

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
0 Comments
Author Name
Comment Time

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere. uis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

Around The Country – March 2025

By About Time

Including tough bail laws being introduced in Victoria, the South Australian Government ruling out raising the age of criminal responsibility, a new parole board president appointed in Queensland and more.

News and Investigations

ISSUE NO. 9

2-3 MIN READ EACH

The Policy Commitments of the Major Parties

By About Time

The Australian Federal election is coming up. This is about voting for the Prime Minister and other federal politicians. It will be held on 3 May 2025.

News and Investigations

ISSUE NO. 9

4 MIN READ

The Ongoing Fight to Vote in Prison

By Denham Sadler

“We can’t get information about how a party or candidate’s policies must impact prisoners,” Kelly told About Time. “Prison officers also will not provide us with any information as it is seen as political.”

News and Investigations

ISSUE NO. 9

6 MIN READ

Recognising the Rights of Incarcerated Workers

By Andreea Lachsz

Prison work differs across the country.

News and Investigations

ISSUE NO. 8

7 MIN READ

Newsletter

Be the first to learn about our monthly stories, plus new initiatives and live events

You've successfully registered!
Something went wrong when we tried to register your details. Please try again.

Support Australia's first national prison newspaper

A place for news and education, expression and hope.

Help keep the momentum going. All donations are tax deductible and will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.

It's
About Time.

A place for news and education, expression and hope.

Help us get About Time off the ground. All donations are tax deductible and will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.

Donate Here

Welcome to About Time

About Time is the national newspaper for Australian prisons and detention facilities

Your browser window currently does not have enough height, or is zoomed in too far to view our website content correctly. Once the window reaches the minimum required height or zoom percentage, the content will display automatically.

Alternatively, you can learn more via the links below.

Donations via GiveNow

Email

Instagram

LinkedIn

Newsletter

Be the first to learn about our monthly stories, plus new initiatives and live events

You've successfully registered!
Something went wrong when we tried to register your details. Please try again.