> [!NOTE]+ Meta > Author:: Larissa Ham > Reference:: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-21/craft-boom-pottery-ceramics-classes-drunken-knitwits/105865876 > Date:: 2025 > Tags:: #warp/article #Australia #knitting #ceramics > WeftLinks:: [[Social value of craft]] > Claim:: [[Claim - Craft is a collective activity that forges trust and belonging]] > [!SUMMARY] Summary > Groups like Drunken Knitwits meet regularly to craft and socialise in pubs. ### Highlights > The Melbourne chapter of the Drunken Knitwits club, about to celebrate its 10th anniversary, has 360-odd members, but a smaller core group who attend regularly. Allyce Balderstone, one of the group's organisers, said the Drunken Knitwits aim to try a different pub in Melbourne's inner suburbs each Thursday night, with about 40 members attending the busiest sessions. > At Melbourne's Laneway Learning, which offers one-off evening classes in everything from soap making to miniature dioramas and Persian geometry, pottery and basic drawing lessons are among the hot favourites. > On Victoria's Surf Coast, ceramics classes are also incredibly popular at Lauren Barton's business, Bellbrae Clay. > Ms Fullerton said interest in craft classes was definitely growing. "You can actually see it in Google Trends — searches for things like 'pottery class' and 'painting class' have been steadily up over the past few years," she said.