Whether you knit and natter, crochet and chatter – help us bring Yarn Art to the city this summer

As excitement builds for the Women’s Rugby World Cup, residents are being invited to reach for their knitting needles and crochet hooks and join an exciting city dressing initiative.

The Red Roses Yarn Art project is encouraging those living in the eight Rugby World Cup host cities to create garlands of roses to celebrate the milestone event.

Inspired by the Red Roses' love of crochet as a team-bonding activity, the project aims to inspire the next generation of female players, deliver a legacy for the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 and paint the country red and white to support the Red Roses this summer.

Crochet club

Members of the England Red Roses rugby team have embraced crocheting as a creative and calming hobby, especially during downtime from intense training and tournaments, with Abby Dow, Hannah Botterman and Tatyana Heard forming an informal Red Roses Crochet Club.

Now you can join them by knitting, crocheting and creating a Yarn Art Installation near you.

Whether it’s a Red Rose, rugby ball, bunting or a simple square, all are invited to get creative and bring Yarn Art to Brighton & Hove. 

The project is supported by Brighton Improvement District (BID) and residents and groups are asked to drop off their roses and other creations at the Jubilee Library to be used in business window displays in the city centre.

Colourful and quirky

Council leader Bella Sankey said: “Brighton & Hove is well-known for being a creative city, and I’m sure all our knitters and crochet enthusiasts will enjoy supporting this colourful and quirky way to celebrate the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025.

“It will be lovely to see a whole bouquet of city-centre business windows adorned with of red roses later this summer, as we look forward to welcoming rugby fans from all over the world.”

All knitted items need to be finished before 10 August, to allow time to distribute to the businesses. The window displays will be on show from 25 August-7 September.

Suggested patterns and links to buy wool are available online.