I walk through the airport security checkpoint in Rome, my shoeless feet padding on the floor.  The metal detector remains silent, but the security man on the other side of the checkpoint stops me, asking me to open my bag.  Dread fills my stomach.  I am sixteen and have never had a detention, much less broken the law.  What could I have done?  I sift through my bag, looking for an item that could have gotten me in trouble.  I stop at my knitting needles.  “You can check the bag or I have to confiscate them.”  My heart sinks.  I have no major connection to the needles, they’re beat up, metal size elevens that can be replaced for no more than $3.99 a pair.  The problem is my project, two complete feet of a scarf that will eventually be sixteen feet long.  The anxiety of having to unravel that much of a beautiful project is a stab in my gut.  Luckily my tour guide has a pen that I slip the stitches on to, saving them for a new set of needles when I get home.

Even though knitting needles have extremely dull tips, many people consider them dangerous, (1)  so airport confiscation is a common experience among knitters.  It is one of the many stories told at knitting groups that brings together a group of diverse men and women who share a common hobby.  These people often identify as yarnies, yarniacs, or ravelers. (2)

Knitting groups welcome a large variety of people, from teenagers like myself to seventy year old grandmothers, as well as a wide range of projects, scarfs, hats, mittens, and teddy bears.  The groups are often organized through Ravelry (3) and meet up local bookstores, coffee shops, libraries, and churches.  The members knit for themselves, their families, their friends, and for charities while chatting, giving groups “the air of a girls' gab session, where fiancés, babies, and exes are hashed out” (Tomlinson).  Despite this common quality, other topics often crowd the conversation of knitting groups.  The conversations at my first official knitting group experience, a weekly Stitch ‘n’ B**** meet up in Saint Paul, Minnesota, revolved around the specifics of a pattern and what kind of yarn was being used.  Phrases like “I scored three skeins of Cascade” (4) were common as the knitters discussed their recent yarn buying adventures, proceeding to talk about various allergies to the fibers used in yarn, such as wool and alpaca.  Questions surrounding projects and whether or not they are seamless (5) are asked each time a new knitter pulls out his or her supplies.

Knitting supplies can be found at almost any craft stores, the more common in Minnesota being Michael’s and JoAnn Fabrics.  Three aisles of yarn and needles leave knitters with limitless options for new projects.  Yarn comes in eight weights, (6) needles in fifty-one different sizes (7 and three different types (straight needles, circular needles, and double pointed needles), allowing for over one thousand different combinations to create a plethora of different projects.  Patterns for these projects can be found in an endless number of sources, including books, guides, magazines, and the web (this is where Ravelry comes in).  Other resources found on the knitting sphere of the internet are sign ups for future knitting meetups.  This is how I found Stitch ‘n’ B****.

Walking into Meet Up Room B at the Rondo Library in Saint Paul, I wasn’t sure what I’d find.  With a name like Stitch ‘n’ B****, anything was possible.  What I found were smiling faces, willing to talk about anything, especially if it involved knitting, gardening, or feng shui.  The most unusual experience of the day was when a little girl about six years old wandered in and asked what we were doing.  She then proceeded to sit down next to my friend Holly and asked if she could try.  Holly, brand new to knitting, happily provided the girl, Hasta, with the opportunity to help her knit a couple stitches, something a seasoned knitter would be afraid to do.   Needless to say, I was impressed.  Hasta then proceeded to ask the organizer, Susan, what the group was called.  Hesitating for just a moment, Susan nicely told her our name, explaining that “Stitch ‘n’ B****” is not meant in a mean way.  I found myself thinking, Knitters, reclaiming words as well as yarn.

I loved how open Susan was about and with the group as a whole.  Her openness however would not be found in everyone there.  The beauty of knitting circles is really found in the diversity of those who participate.  Susan, the organizer, is outgoing, accepting, and happy to talk about anything, including how she used her first aid skills earlier in the day to help a biker who had been in an accident.  Other knitters are shy, coming solely to knit and listen to other people’s stories.  Some, like me, are at a group for the first time and are excited, ready to talk, but also a little worried I was talking too much.  Knitting groups are extremely open and welcoming.  This however does not mean they aren’t ever intimidating. (9)  However, this intimidation doesn’t stop knitters from learning.  Love of the craft, the people, and the history brings all ages of men and women together to create beautiful projects.

Knitting has been around for ages.  One common myth regarding the origin of knitting is fishing nets.  The craft may have been a variation on the knotting of nets for fishing which eventually created clothing, specifically scarves and socks.  An early example of yarn craft is a pair of socks from the fourth or fifth century A.D. found in Egypt in the 19th century.  The socks were created using a technique similar to nalbindning.  Nalbindning is “ an ancient Scandanavian technique used to produce woolen clothing from lengths of yarn and a single short needle. This method created a tight weave which was suitable for felting and therefore, provided maximum protection from the cold” (“History”).  Nalbindning may have been a precursor to crochet and knitting guilds came about in the 1400’s.  Around the industrial revolution, knitted objects became more and more popular as they could be mass produced in factories and made for less money.  Much of the knitting done in recent years has been done for charity.  Whether to make blankets for newborns, mittens for the homeless, prayer shawls through churches, or hats for cancer patients and soldiers, (10) charity knitting is one of the largest parts of knitting history.

Knitting groups have taken all sorts of forms, some of the most widespread being hospital (11) or charity groups.  Prayer shawls, chemo caps, and mittens for the homeless are among the projects created by groups with the sole purpose of charity.  These handmade gifts, whether knit, crocheted, or otherwise, can provide an uplifting sense of care and security or even save a life.

In order to experience this type of knitting for myself, I went to a prayer shawl ministry group at my church.  The women gathered there were just as excited as those at Stitch ‘n’ B**** to see new faces come to join the small group.  This group was not much different from Stitch ‘n’ B****.  Discussion still surrounded personal stories, such as vacations to Hawaii.  I connected with one crocheter in particular, Linda.  Linda and I had similar tastes in music and talked about past and upcoming concerts.  The prayer shawls made by Linda are the most beautiful prayer shawls I’ve seen.  They are striped in different shades of the same color, she told us, often “built around a variegated” (12) skein.  Her shawls have soft tassels on the end, are crocheted in a sort of shell shaped pattern, and have been sold in silent auctions for charity as well as given out freely at my church.  What makes a shawl a prayer shawl is that the yarn, needles, and people that create the shawl have been blessed before the weaving, during the process, and once the shawl has been finished.  At the very end, before it is given to someone who needs it, the prayer shawl is blessed by a priest.  At my church, the shawls are placed in the sacristy where individuals can come and take them anonymously.  Prayer shawl groups give knitting an even more therapeutic feeling.  The peace and ease surrounding the group is the epitome of relaxation.  Come as you are, be who you are, and help someone in need.

At both of the knitting groups I’ve been to, I have been the youngest one there.  Despite this, knitting has recently become popular among younger generations; kids and teens have begun joining their elders and have brought an edgier feel to the once very traditional activity.  According to Google, the frequency of the search for “knitting for beginners” increased 250 percent in twelve months (“Knitting”), demonstrating how common it is becoming for children and teens to take up the craft. When asked if young people, specifically teenagers, should take up knitting, one knitter, Reverend Jan MacNally, stated, “Yes.  It’s tactile.  It’s an activity that has an incredible amount of history so you fall into a tradition of lots of people who have done this.  It slows you down; it’s not necessarily a quick thing.  Not an instant gratification.  You have to sit and do it methodically.  You have the satisfaction of having created something when you’re done” (MacNally).  Because of this methodic and therapeutic feel, some schools, including my own, have begun allowing students to knit in class.  Knitting has been recognized as a therapeutic activity for a long time.  Dr. Barry Jacobs of Princeton University discovered that “repetitive movements in animals enhance the release of serotonin, associated with calm good spirits” (Ehrenfeld).  The constant therapeutic movements allow for relaxation of the brain.  The therapy is used by people around the world to help with all sorts of ailments, occasional to chronic, including arthritis.  British physiotherapist, Betsan Corkhill stated, that knitting is a ‘“constructive addiction” that replaces other habits like smoking and binge eating” (Ehrenfeld).  I know from personal experience that nothing is more relaxing after a long day or when I’m sick than to pick up my knitting needles.  Many people who are chronically ill or disabled have taken up knitting in order to reinstitute meaning into their life.  Being able to produce gifts for family and friends or for charity gives one the sense of productivity, of contribution, even if unable to walk.  It also improves concentration.  This is one of the reasons that schools have instituted knitting.

  Many teachers have begun using knitting as a way to reach kinesthetic (13) learners.  Teachers who have instituted this method have found that children with ADHD, dyslexia, and other behavioral or attention-deficit disorders, who have been introduced to knitting in the classroom have been less disruptive or violent while in class (“In Education”).  These same teachers have reported that knitting teaches “Patience, Perseverance, and Communication” as well as “that mistakes can be undone, that it's not a catastrophic event to make a mistake and that goals can be reached despite a few detours along the way” (“In Education”).  At Worth Primary in Kent, England, young students have been taught to knit and encouraged to knit both in class, and once done eating lunch.  Headmistress Lynne Moor stated, “It has dramatically improved behaviour.  And it really helps communication. Instead of playing on their phones or computers, the children knit and talk to each other.  They have proper conversations” (Loveys).  This institution of an age-old craft into classrooms has given students an opportunity to create something, as well as root themselves in a tradition and connect themselves to history.  It also allows for a larger amount of creativity.

I first learned to knit in my school’s wellness class.  Each week, one class period is dedicated to an activity designed to relieve stress.  My first wellness class was Fiber Arts.  This is where I learned to knit.  It was a steady, downward slope after that.  I began knitting projects for everyone, plunging headfirst into the addictive craft.  When asked what those interested in learning to knit ought to know, Reverend MacNally replied, “I think you have to be prepared to allow yourself to realize that as you knit the project, that you are putting part of who you are into this… your creativity and your creative essence...  So when you give it as a gift or wear it, it’s giving someone a special part of you.  It’s almost a spiritual thing that happens” (MacNally).  Being in a knitting group is an opportunity to share this spiritual connection with others who understand what it is like to spend time creating something with the sole purpose of giving it to someone else.

The knitting community is certainly something special.  Within it there is freedom to express inner thoughts and feelings without judgment.  Susan, organizer of the Stitch ‘n’ B**** meet ups stated that the best thing about knitting groups is the ability to ask questions.  Even if those in the group do not commonly teach knitting, they’re happy and ready to help out a beginner with any number of problems, including dropped stitches, (14) learning to cast off, (15) or changing from the knit stitch to the purl stitch.  This environment of being able and allowed to ask questions gives knitting groups a very specific feel.  To me, that feeling can be best described with words, these are my people, and I trust them and I belong with them.  This, I believe, is what gave young Hasta the courage to wander in that day at the Stitch ‘n’ B**** meet up.  Upon leaving Stitch ‘n’ B**** that afternoon, I knew I would return; ready to continue knitting among those who have far more experience with gardening, knitting, and life in general than I do.  There is a connection between knitting and life.  It’s the experience.  Life is a journey, learning one skill at a time ultimately makes one a better and more informed person.  In knitting, it’s all about new techniques.  Learning how to use new needles, knit new stitches, and make new projects only advances one’s abilities and gives one more to offer as a creative soul is poured into the project for a friend.

 
Works Cited
Ehrenfeld, Temma. "Should You Knit?" Psychology Today. N.p., 01 Nov. 2013. Web. 10 May
2015.
"History of Knitting, from Knotted Nets and Knitted Socks to Knitting Guilds." Knit-A-Square.
KasCare, n.d. Web. 07 May 2015.
"In Education." Stitch Links. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2015.
"Knitting group told they can't meet at local library because of 'dangerous needles'; A
knitting group that creates replica anatomical parts for trainee NHS midwives has
claimed they are no longer allowed to meet at a library because its needles are
'dangerous' and its members are 'too noisy'." Telegraph Online 16 Aug. 2013.
Student Resources in Context. Web. 28 Apr. 2015.
Loveys, Kate. "Just Call Us the School Knitwits: The Homely Skill That Is Making a Return to
the Classroom." Daily Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 11 Feb. 2011. Web. 28
Apr. 2015.
MacNally, Janet. Personal interview. 10 Apr. 2015.
Roell, Kelly. "The Kinesthetic Learning Style." About Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2015.
Sokol, Michelle. "Maple City Health Care Center's New Martha's Gift Program Helps Patients
Pay Bills, Give Back to Community." The Elkhart Truth. N.p., 31 Dec. 2014. Web. 28
Apr. 2015.
Tomlinson, S. (2003, Nov 13). KNITTING FACTORIES 'STITCH 'N' B****' SESSIONS
CREATE TIGHTKNIT GROUPS. Boston Globe

1. Some knitting groups have been asked to leave libraries due to “health and safety concerns” regarding the knitting needles (“Knitting”)
2. Yarnies, yarniacs, and ravelers are all terms used by knitters to identify as part of a group, in this case, a knitting group or a member of the yarn craft website Ravelry.
3. Ravelry is a website used by yarn crafters to hunt down patterns, yarn, and fellow knitters, as well as share their finished products.
  Cascade is a higher end yarn brand, selling for up to $23.00 a skein
4. Seamless- a sweater, hat, or other project that is knit without breaks using circular or double pointed needles so that no sewing is required to finish the project.
5. 0-Fingering yarn used for crocheted lace, 1-sock/fingering yarn/baby, 2-sport/baby, 3-DK/light worsted, 4-worsted/afghan/aran, 5-chunky/craft/rug, 6-super bulky/roving, 7-jumbo/roving
6. Standard U.S. needle sizes run from 0-50, ranging from two millimeters to twenty five millimeters
7. I couldn’t allow myself to pass of a project to someone new to knitting, the idea of my precious project possibly being compromised causes a twitch of fear in my stomach.
8. For those of us working with thick yarn on large needles, watching someone knit on tiny needles with thin yarn can be a little intimidating since it takes about an hour to finish an inch on small needles.  Large needles make a project go much faster
9. Knitting for soldiers was a common practice during World War II.  Today patterns have been created to replicate these hats, as they are extremely warm and great for charity.
10. One such hospital group is not so much a knitting group but an opportunity for those who cannot pay their hospital bills to escape debt.  The members of the group meet and knit blankets for newborn babies in return for credit on their hospital bills (Sokol)
11. Variegated yarn is yarn that fades between colors or changes colors to create either a striped pattern or a fading color pattern.
12. A kinesthetic learner “ needs to be actively doing something while learning” like doodling or knitting (Roell)
13. Dropping stitches, perhaps one of the most frustrating parts of knitting, happen when a stitch slips of a needle and is lost to the project below.  It takes a knowledgeable knitter to fix this one.
14. One of the most important parts of knitting, casting off is the term describing the process of removing a project from the needles in order to add the finishing touches.
15. Purling is the opposite of knitting, inserting the working needle through the front of the stitch rather than the back.