The very mention of the pub and I'm sold. Sure, I'll definitely attend this Craft Jam malarkey and learn a bit of crochet, or whatever it is they're doing. It's not really my thing, but at least it'll be a good excuse for a pint.

Scroll forward a couple of days and my drink sits forgotten beside me, as I clamp my tongue between my teeth and squint at the determined war my clumsy fingers are waging with a hook and some yarn. It turns out this crochet lark is quite absorbing,

After several minutes of frustrated fumbling, something clicks under the informal tuition of Hannah Coupland-Smith and Pippa Hynam. It's all in the hold, it transpires. I finally manage to master a grasp where the wool is taut enough to grab and pull, and my combat-green caterpillar begins to grow into a knotted ... thing. A scarf for a mouse, perhaps.

Coming from a position of complete ignorance, I consider this pretty good progress for two pleasurable hours. Either side of me sit women who are beavering away at work which seems far more advanced.

I assume they have been crocheting since birth, but it turns out both have only attended one previous Craft Jam session on the subject, in November, and have progressed through practice on their own. Vicky Willcock, 30, made crocheted Christmas puddings for loved ones, while dentist Nikki Harris, 43, created little flowers with buttons through the middle as gifts. I'm impressed, particularly when I learn that both have only been crocheting for a few years and are self-taught but have created an array of stunning pieces, from scarves to pots and sweet little finger puppets.

Pippa, a nurse during the day, even wears her "crochet warrior" t-shirt, featuring crossed hooks, made by her husband as a joke to celebrate her dedication to the craft. But it is just one of many hobbies to take the focus of the monthly Craft Jam gatherings at Exeter's City Gate pub.

Recent sessions have included hand-sewn necklaces, origami flowers and button jewellery.

Pippa, 39, started her craft career in 2007, teaching herself first to knit, then to crochet. "I absolutely loved it," she enthused in her soft Scottish accent. "I had never tapped my creativity and I became totally addicted. I used to feel that I didn't have any creativity within me, and I think a lot of others feel the same way.

"Once I was hooked, I just wanted more people to experience the same buzz, and it really is a buzz. You get such a sense of achievement and it's incredibly relaxing."

Craft Jam falls under the umbrella of the Craft Hub, which also organises four craft fairs a year in Topsham, Take and Make workshops for kids and craft swap events.

Pippa and Hannah love the community aspect of their gatherings. "This is a modern take on what people have done for generations," said Pippa. "Victorian women used to sit in drawing rooms and crochet and embroider."

The location is what helps make the gatherings both informal and welcoming. "That's the key – the atmosphere is really vital. It's not a cliquey group – we're open to anybody," says 39-year-old Hannah.

"I love the fact that we have got 70-year-olds here and we've had 16-year-olds and even children, but I'd really love to get some chaps. Maybe we need to organise a whittling session or something to draw in some men."

The movement is growing, thanks to a craft renaissance over the past few years, says Pippa. "It has really taken off. People don't have much money these days but what they have they want to spend on quality, something really unique."

Back in the City Gate, and we're all comparing our handiwork, giving tips and occasionally gently mocking our neighbours with comments like "that's the best crocheted cat's leg I've ever seen in my life". It's a warm, friendly environment where everybody mingles and encourages each other.

I may not be able to give up the day job for a life as a craft maker just yet, but I've already signed up for the next session, on making hearts for Valentine's Day. Yes, there's an element of kiddies' art class about it, and that's the joy. You get to learn something – and there's beer on tap.