It’s awfully cold outside. Why not curl up indoors with a lap full of yarn? In a few hours, you could knit any number of things to help keep you warm-a scarf, a hat, or even a pair of mittens.
Kids across the Twin Cities are learning how to knit. They are wrapping their necks with slinky, bright scarves and topping their heads with cozy, woolen caps. They are even giving away their knitted goods to friends and family.
“I’ve been knitting a ton of scarves for Christmas this year,” says Emma, a sixth grader at Blake Middle School in Hopkins. “It only takes me a week or two to make a scarf,” she explains, holding up her latest project-a brilliantly blue, soft and squishy scarf she planned to give to a friend. “I knit a little bit every day.”
It’s easy for Emma to find the time to knit: she gets to knit at school. Every Tuesday, Emma’s English teacher, Nancy Hughes, hosts a knitting club in her classroom. Students can sign up to attend knitting club each week if they don’t need extra help in any of their regular classes.
Hughes will teach students the basics of knitting if they don’t know how, but students that are already knitters also sign up. “Most of the kids that come in, do not know how to knit,” says Hughes. “I have practice yarn on hand, and I loan them needles to start. We just do basic knitting, and then once a student is not dropping or adding stitches, then I let them make a scarf.”
Hughes estimates that between 20-30 students have attended knitting club at some point this school year, but she also admits she hasn’t taught them all how to knit on her own. “I like it best when the kids start teaching each other. They feel really good about helping each other,” she says.
And it’s not just girls that are going to knitting club. Boys attend, too. Sam, a seventh grader at Blake Middle School, learned to knit from his mom. “She thought it would give me something to do with my hands and take some of my fidgeting away,” he explains. “I was really hyper. I liked to talk. I just blabbed away.”
Sam’s teachers agreed to let him knit in class as a way to help him focus his attention. It worked. Hughes isn’t surprised that knitting helped Sam pay attention. “It’s so calming to sit and knit,” she says. “Kid’s days are too hectic; their lives are hectic. Knitting slows them down. They have to concentrate on what’s in front of them.”
But Jack, another knitting club participant, doesn’t go to knitting club because it calms him down. He’s more focused on the finished product. “I wanna learn how to make hats,” he says. “I like making things that you can wear. It’s fun. I like hats. I like to knit ’cause then I made it. I got to decide what it looks like.”
Sam agrees, “It’s just cool to make something out of nothing.”
Where can you learn to knit?
Many yarn stores across the Twin Cities offer knitting classes. New classes will start with the New Year, so call, find when classes begin, and get knitting!
In Burnsville, Zandy’s offers a free, two-hour session to those interested in learning to make a scarf. Participants must buy scarf supplies at the store. A free, two-hour session is also offered for knitters that want to learn to make a hat. It is best to take the scarf class first. Again, supplies must be purchased at the store. 13710 Nicollet Ave. S. 952-890-3087.
In Excelsior, Coldwater Collaborative features youth knitting classes throughout the summer. Some sessions are available for youth in the winter. 347 Water St. 952-401-7501.
In Minneapolis, Creative Fibers holds knitting classes geared specifically for youth. 5416 Penn Ave. S. 612-927-8307.
Private knitting lessons can be arranged at Linden Hills Yarns. Call Kathleen Hanvik for pricing and scheduling details. 612-928-8354.
In St. Paul, The Yarnery offers knitting classes for beginners. Youth interested in learning to knit join classes with adults. 840 Grand Ave. 651-222-5793.
In Osseo, Amazing Threads, Inc. offers classes for beginning knitters, as well as a Teen Knitting Club. 427 3rd St. SE. 763-391-7700.
In White Bear Lake, A Sheepy Yarn Shoppe offers youth knitting classes. 2185 3rd St. 651-426-5463.
