Knitted Knockers – A brief history

What is a knitted knocker?

A knitted knocker is the name given to a hand-knitted prosthesis for ladies who have had a mastectomy or lumpectomy, as an alternative to the ones issued by hospitals. The knocker is made in 100% mercerised cotton, with non-allergenic filling. It is lightweight, extremely comfortable and fits into an ordinary bra. Knockers are given free of charge to anyone who requests one.

The birth of knitted knockers

A few years ago, a lady in Maine, USA, developed a knitted knocker following a mastectomy as she was not comfortable with the prosthesis the hospital had given her… A short while later a lady in Washington State heard about the knitted knocker after herself being dissatisfied with what she was offered by the hospital following a mastectomy and waiting for reconstruction. She was so thrilled with the result that she wanted every woman in her position to have access to them. Knitted Knockers.org was formed and the rest is history…

There are currently over 500 Knitted Knocker groups in 30 different countries.

Knitted knockers in Spain

Knitted knockers in Spain (KKS) was formed in 2015 by two ladies, Margaret (Maggie) Stevenson and Karen Wallentek-Smith, living in the small town of Mollina, in the province of Málaga. Karen had recently undergone a mastectomy and mentioned to Maggie, a keen knitter, that she wished she could have a knitted knocker. She knew they were available in the UK, but no one seemed to have heard of them in Spain. Intrigued, that evening Maggie did an internet search, discovered the pattern and presented Karen with her very first knitted knocker the next morning. Karen was thrilled and the news of the knitted knocker soon spread. Karen and Maggie decided to establish Knitted Knockers in Spain in November 2015.

During 2016, separate groups were formed in Alicante (Costa Blanca) and Mallorca.

Asociación Knitted Knockers Costa del Sol was formed in November 2016 and became a registered charity in March 2017.