Our local high school has an after school knitting club where each Monday afternoon the classroom is filled with teenage boys and girls learning to knit or improve their knitting skills. There are adult volunteers, including women from the local yarn store, who generously donate yarn, needles and patterns. The kids are full of enthusiasm and I am constantly amazed at how quickly they grasp the intricacies of new stitches and patterns.
The kids park themselves on and around tables in groups of friends, laughing and talking all the while knitting and purling; their long strings of colorful yarns draped all over the tables. They talk about friends and classes, but they also talk about stitches and patterns. They discuss yarn contents and yarn weights and plan their next project. The patient and fun instructors are available when needed.
I love to see these modern kids, with their cell phones nearby and their backpacks full of homework, stopping their fast paced lives to settle in and learn an ancient skill. I’m impressed with their dedication as they sometimes struggle with casting on, ribbing and cables. Each week someone masters something new and makes another hat, scarf or sweater. They head for home and if they find themselves stuck they are savvy enough to find a YouTube how-to video to correct the problem. These teens eagerly knit for charity as well as friends and family.
When I worry that the next generation doesn’t seem to care about handmade things, preferring to purchase their wants and needs at the mall I think of my new friends in knitting club. Art and crafts are here to stay. The art of knitting won’t unravel with this generation.
So, keep encouraging and supporting arts in the schools and arts in your own life. It brings us together.
This is such a great idea in so may ways I cannot even begon to count them, but it includes, eye/hand coordination, patience, geometry, math, art, crafting, creating, self-sustainablity and so much more.
Posted by: Molly | 05/01/2011 at 06:05 AM