Next in our series of chatting to creatives and casts of Edinburgh Fringe 2026, we catch up with Melanie Gall who tells us all about Stitch In Time : A Knitting Cabaret. Billed as ”Excitement! Drama! Romance! And… knitting? An award-winning hour of lost wartime knitting songs. Bring your knitting (or crochet) and stitch along to toe-tapping, needle-clicking tunes. Come out and have a “ball”! During the World Wars, millions of women knitted for the soldiers. Mere days after the first bullet was fired, dozens of knitting-themed songs began to appear. After the wars these songs were lost, but this cabaret concert, this music – a clever, sweet and entertaining footnote in history – has been preserved and given a chance to live again.”
How would you describe your show to someone discovering it for the first time at the Fringe?
It’s SO MUCH KNITTING. Knitting songs, knitting stories, knitting photographs, (often) knitting audiences. It’s part history lesson and part knitting extravaganza.
What moment, idea or frustration first sparked this show into existence?
My sister and I used to host a knitting podcast, and as I was a professional singer, I started wondering if there were any knitting songs out there. Well, there certainly where! I found one. Then three. Then another. And now I have almost 100 forgotten historic knitting songs, and dozens of stories to tell of wartime knitting. The show naturally came from there!
How has the show evolved from its earliest idea to what audiences will see now?
My first version of the show was *acting* – so, a traditional theatre piece with a story and characters. But then I realized that these songs were so charming that they could essentially speak for themselves. It then evolved into more of a cabaret-style piece, where I’m me, singing and recounting interesting tales and facts to the audience.
What makes Edinburgh Fringe the right place for this show right now?
Edinburgh Fringe audiences love knitting! Well, not all of them, of course, but sheep, wool, spinning, crochet, and knitting are huge in Scotland, and these songs tell a social history that spans both Great Britain and North America – it’s not just for knitters, but it does tell a fascinating history especially relevant to knitters. Also, in the divisive world of today, it’s pretty heartening to see a room full of people clicking away on scarves or socks!
What does bringing this particular show to the Fringe represent for you personally?
For me, knitting brings people together, and sharing the history of a craft that people do around the world is a way of promoting unity. The show represents the importance of not letting history disappear, and as a songwriter, it represents my commitment to “save” historic music that was in danger of being lost to history.
What has been the most unexpectedly challenging part of getting this show to Edinburgh?
Honestly, it’s been choosing the songs to include! I tour Stitch in Time as a 120-minute theatre piece with an intermission, and for the Fringe, I had to cut it down to 55 minutes. I would love to do the whole thing here!
If audiences leave the venue holding onto one thing, what do you hope it is?
I would like the audience to hold onto the knowledge that knitting is more than just a silly craft. It was used for secret codes during WWII. It was used to save lives during WWI. It is still used to express solidarity and hope in wartime. Picking up a ball of yarn and needles makes a person part of more than just a crafting community – they are continuing a proud tradition!
How do you think performing this show during a Fringe run will shape it?
Audience members often approach me after the show with their own wartime knitting stories, passed down from a mother or grandmother. I end up integrating many of these personal narratives into my shows. After the EdFringe run, I’m sure I’ll have more stories to share!
Who do you hope this show finds at the Fringe?
I brought this show to the Fringe to get booked at festivals and theatres around the world. I’m hoping the show will find an audience at the Fringe, but also that it will find new audiences at the theatres where it gets booked from this run.
Finally, if this show came with a warning label, what would it say?
DANGER: May Become Knitting Obsessed!
Stitch In Time : A Knitting Cabaret runs at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 7th – 29th August 2026 (Except 16th & 23rd).