Knitting is the domain of grandmas and craft circles with names like Rows Before Bros and Knitt Romney, right? Wrong. Intelligent, creative college students are getting into the game, too.
Take, for instance, SMU’s Knitting Club. The group, who started meeting two weeks ago, meets at the Women’s Center every Friday at 2 p.m.
“I just wanted a place on campus where I could knit and talk knitting,” said SMU senior Jessica Bates. “I like knitting because it’s a great stress-reliever.”
Bates, who started knitting on and off when she was 13, picked it back up about three years ago. “I’ve always loved crafts ever since I was a little kid,” said Bates. “I stuck with it because of all of the creative projects you can come up with.”
Bates is the Knitting Club’s resident specialist, doling out sage advice as she worked on a kaleidoscopic scarf. As a math major, she sees a lot of arithmetic in calculating stitch and row metrics.
“We knit and we talk and we talk about knitting,” said SMU junior Story Zanetti. “Now I’m knitting every week and I like it because it’s gotten me into the habit of doing it more.”
After picking up knitting two and a half years ago, she has had trouble consistently committing to a project. Nestled on an enormous red couch, Zanetti explained that she enjoys the club because it motivates her to knit on a regular basis. After examining a pair of intricate socks made by a fellow club member, she returned to knitting an impeccable, eggplant-hued scarf.
“I like to do something with my hands. I’m very easily distracted. If I don’t have a distraction, I’ll get distracted by something else,” said Zanetti. “One of my favorite things to do is knit and watch TV.”
The group is sponsored by SMU’s Women & LGBT Center, which is an on-campus organization that inspires students to increase knowledge and awareness of gender equity matters.
The five SMU students that attended today’s meeting spoke about everything from knitting tips to a new phenomenon of spinning cat hair into yarn. The club, which maintains knitting tools and yarn for its members, eagerly welcomes students to join regardless of skill level.
