The data in this study comes from autoethnographic practitioner-written responses to interview questions and interviews with colleagues working in a secondary pupil support department. Knitting beside and with certain female pupils had been trialled over the course of an academic year. The aim of this study was to explore staff perceptions of the impact of this activity on pupil stress levels and learning. Thematic analysis was carried out on the data and several themes were constructed. The themes that describe the overall data set are soothing, closeness, readiness to learn, and engagement. The theme of engagement also subsumes sub-themes of staff enthusiasm, creation and gender. The descriptions given relate only to the situations directly involving crafting and not in transference to other contexts. The methodology and context also prohibit any attempt to generalise these findings.