When you think of knitting, what comes to mind? A silver-haired dear in a rocking chair, knitting booties for her grandchildren? Well, think again. Knitting is now hip. Groups of trendy young knitters on both sides of the Atlantic have wrestled the needles from their grannies and are fast turning knitting into an ultra-cool international trend. Even A-listers Kate Moss and Julia Roberts are reported to have a passion for it.

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With the advent of today's wash-and-wear fabrics, machine-knits and Lycra mixes, it seemed inevitable that the old knit-one purl-one would become obsolete. But as fashion moved towards natural fibres and chunky knits, young women (and men) unafraid to hand wash have been clicking their needles together and creating cool, stylish, playful items from wool.

My grandmother taught me how to knit when I was seven years old. Though the ludicrously long, messy, multicoloured scarf I made wasn't fit for use, I was thrilled with my creation. Learning to knit remains a fond and vivid memory - a true bonding moment between my gran and I. Most knitters will be able to tell you how and when they learned the skill and who it was that taught them. The act of knitting seems somehow to reconnect people with their childhoods, and the pleasure of creating something unique from scratch is its own obvious reward.

Rachel Matthews, a founding member of the London-based knitting circle Cast Off, got the idea for the group as she became aware of people staring when she took her knitting out in public. 'I realised that people were interested because it evokes memories,' says Rachel who learned t knit when she was nine years old. 'People were really keen to tell me their knitting stories. I also had friends who wanted to knit, and at the time there were no knitting shops or knitting groups that we knew of, so I set up Cast Off. At the same time I was working in community arts and promoting in nightclubs, and I'd take my knitting along and teach friends to knit when we were out.'

She and her band of fellow knitting fanatics regularly meet in unusual venues, including the Victoria & Albert Museum and aboard the London Underground's Circle Line - they were once asked to leave the American Bar at the Savoy hotel for knitting too loudly. They gather to knit, compare patterns, share advice, chat, and pass their skills on to a rapidly growing number of novices.

Cast Off member Theo Burrow never leaves home without her needles. 'I was dissatisfied,' she says, explaining her love affair with wool 'with the mass-produced acrylic knitwear I found on the High Street. When I started, I knitted bags, hats and scarves with thick wool and big needles. But over time, as my knitting improved, the wool and needles got finer and the pieces became more complicated. Then I started teaching myself from books I found in charity shops, and designing things myself. You can't always tell whether something is going to turn out as you imagined, but it's all part of the creative process. I love the tactile nature of wool - there's nothing like the feeling of knitting with furry angora, or the softest alpaca or cashmere.'

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Knits just got hip