With this being the knitting club’s second year, adviser and science teacher Jessica Girvin has plans to expand the focus of the club. Instead of simply helping people learn how to knit or crochet, Girvin hopes to incorporate charity projects into the club that will benefit both the students and organizations.
“There’s a lot of great charity organizations out there and it’s really cool to learn a new skill, but it’s also good to learn a new skill and help people,” Girvin said. “I wanted [charities] that were attainable and not going to take us the entire year. Things that people could work on and pick up and put back down whenever we met.”
To start out, Girvin picked out three charity organizations that would offer something easy for those just starting out but also those with more advanced skills.
“There’s a group called Warm Up America! and they will take knitted or crocheted squares, like granny squares, and you don’t even have to stitch them together,” Girvin said. “There’s an organization called Knit Your Bit, which takes scarves for veterans and goes to veteran homes and hospitals. Scarves are really easy even for people who are just starting out. There’s something called the Snuggles Project which is blankets for shelter animals so they have something soft to lay on and something that kind of belongs to them.”
Girvin isn’t the only one looking forward to the many ways they can take their enjoyment of knitting to help those in need with the club members showing interest as well.
“I’m very excited about this charity being implemented into the club,” senior Natalie Merhib said. “I’m hoping we can continue this throughout the years and make it a tradition to help many different charities. I hope this will bring more kids that can become interested in knitting club because it’s so much fun and it’s a great community.”
There are plenty of ways to help charities but being able to develop a skill you enjoy and still help others can be very rewarding.
“I feel like it’s really important to give back whenever you can,” Girvin said. “I have been [knitting] for so long that my husband actually banned me from knitting any more hats in my house because we had too many, so I started giving them away. I love being able to do that and I felt like it was also a way to focus the group. If we had a project then we might be able to help them develop skills.”
Knitting club is open to anyone that’s interested in joining no matter what their skill level is. Everyone is encouraged to check it out.
“I have been knitting since I was a little girl and as an adult, it has helped me stay grounded and I wanted to share that experience,” Girvin said. “I would say just come try it even if you’re a little bit interested and don’t be intimidated.”