ONE of Prudhoe’s most popular independent shops has been on the move.

Knitting shop Ready, Steady, Knit has moved to a bigger, more prominent premises on Front Street as it goes from strength to strength.

The shop had been at its former site, set back from Front Street, for more than seven years, but owner Pauline Edwards decided that it was time to move on.

She said: “It’s very good news. We’ve been down the side street for seven and a half years. We’ve been really well supported by the community. There aren’t many knitting shops around, so we’ve become a destination shop too.

“We get people from Newcastle and Gateshead coming here, and hopefully they go and have a coffee and go to some of the other shops in Prudhoe.

“In the end, the premises was just not big enough, so we’ve made the jump round the corner.”

The new store is around four times the size of the previous one – but Pauline admitted she never thought the business would be so successful.

“Hopefully it will be a success. I never envisaged needing to move, we started off as small is beautiful.

“We didn’t realise how popular knitting would become. It’s become much more popular since we started. People are taking up crafts as a stress release.

“It’s not just an old lady hobby now – I have customers who have really high-powered jobs coming in.

“It’s also a really good social aspect. We have knit and natter sessions every day where people can get together and do their knitting.”

Pauline has also begun selling baby clothes at the shop, with many customers knitting for youngsters.

The shop also has something of a family connection.

Pauline added: “My uncle came in the other day. He actually met his wife, my late aunt, in this building in in 1954. It was a grocers at the time and she worked behind the till. He saw her from the bus stop. We’ve come full circle in a way.”