Chicago Students Learn More than Knitting in Fiber Clubs

March 18, 2015 by Sarah White 2 Comments

I really enjoyed this story from the Chicago Tribune about knitting and fiber arts clubs for high school students.

KnitLAB and BT Lives in the Stitch are projects in North Lawndale where students are paid to produce hand-crafted items and at the same time get a sense of community and pride in creating things that’s a contrast to the chaotic neighborhoods in which they live.

Some students say they thought knitting would be boring, and that it was hard at first, but they like being able to make things instead of buying them, and they like having their friends ask them to make things.

Teachers and art therapists say making is important for teens because it gives them autonomy in creating things, and the process of knitting is comforting, as we all know.

I think it’s awesome that these programs exist and wish more kids had the opportunity to learn knitting and other crafts in school.

Do any of your local schools have knitting programs? I’d love to hear about them.

[Photo by John J. Kim, Chicago Tribune.]

Next Pattern:

Comments

Elena Tucker says
March 21, 2015 at 12:58 am
The article sounds interesting, unfortunately I can’t access it without a subscription to the Tribune. I’d like to learn more about it, are there any other sources?
Bekah says
March 21, 2015 at 4:27 pm
Our university has a knitting society which does volunteer knitting, such as blankets for the elderly and preemie knits… it’s a great way to get students both socialising with likeminded people, and also to support their community!

Have you read?

Christmas Sock Knitting Patterns

Why should the fireplace get all the fun? Instead of knitting stockings this year, why not whip up a pair of Christmas themed socks? These Christmas sock knitting patterns are lots of fun to make and you can wear them to holiday gatherings for years to come.

For our friends in the southern part of the world, there are the Christmas in July socks from the Kiwi Lodge – Kylie (Ravelry link). These shorty socks are covered in Christmas trees and have bright pink heels and toes for a tropical feel. There’s also an option to make a longer sock if you celebrate somewhere it’s colder.

Twin Stitches Designs (Ravelry) has a fun pattern with mix and match colorwork motifs you can use to build your own cozy Christmas socks. From the sample socks I see Christmas puddings, trucks hauling trees, Santa belts, ornaments and a couple of different borders. There may be more patterns included but the listing doesn’t say. Make a pair that matches or use different motifs on each foot for extra holiday cheer.

If you want to stick to Christmas puddings on your holiday socks, check out this cute pattern from Stone Knits. These lovely socks feature a band of puddings around the leg and a bit of holly by the toes.

These vintage holiday light socks from Grey Owl Knits by Sarah are classic looking and lots of fun at the same time. I love this color combination but of course you can make your lights and stripes whatever colors you like or have on hand. They’re worked using stranded knitting.

And if you’d like even more of a mix of patterns for your socks, try Barbara Ceglédi’s Christmas Chaos socks, a free pattern on Ravelry. The pattern includes 25 little motifs you can choose from, ranging from snowflakes and Christmas trees to elf hats, reindeer and hearts.

Next Pattern:

Comments

Have you read?

Leave a Reply