KNITTING, once so popular, has become a minority hobby. And one of the victims of the change is Woollybacks, of Finkle Street, Thirsk, which closes tomorrow.

Since 1981, the business has been run by sisters Rose Severs and Pat Smith, who have specialised in selling knitting yarn and associated items. Now they are taking a well-earned retirement.

As well as Woollybacks in Thirsk, there used to be two similar shops in Northallerton and others in most towns in the area.

Mrs Severs said: "Over the years the number of knitters has dwindled, shops have closed and Woollybacks is now the only such shop in a wide area."

The business has had regular customers, not only from Thirsk and Northallerton but also from Malton, York, Ripon, Darlington, Whitby and even further afield.

Tourists from all over the world used to express their delight in finding an old-fashioned knitting shop in Thirsk, but their numbers have also decreased.

Mrs Severs added: "The decline in hand-knitting is yet another facet of changes in lifestyle in modern times. Few children are now taught how to knit, either at home or at school, and it is now an activity more often than not undertaken by grandmothers."

A closing down sale with most stock at half-price ends with the closure tomorrow.