Many Dartmouth students are shattering the myth that only grandmothers can spin yarn. The new craze on campus? Knitting.
Knitters can be spotted on the Green, in Thayer Dining Hall, in class and just about anywhere else on campus.
Although some knitters say they got their start at an early age while watching mom or grandma, others have discovered the joys of knitting more recently through a Collis Miniversity course, which is taught by Tilda White.
White says she has to put a limit of 20 students on class enrollment, and the waiting list is always long.
Although knitters cite a variety of reasons for their interest in the hobby, the majority say they do it for relaxation. "The process itself is very therapeutic and addictive," Penn Dodson '97 said.
Some knitters say the gratification comes in creating an original and practical piece. "They realize they can make the same thing that J. Crew does," White said. "We live in such an immediate gratification society, we need to take time to make something."
Other knitters find a seasonal practicality to knitting, especially in the wintery town of Hanover. "It's probably caught on here because we have such a need for warm clothing," Carol Gilchrist '95 said.
Knitting during lecture classes has become somewhat popular and, although it may appear to observers that these knitters are in a world of their own yarn, that doesn't appear to be the case.
White has a framed article from The New York Times about a scientific study that showed knitters actually excel in classes because the process is a neurological stimulator. And after all, how many knitters have you seen sleeping in class?
English and Women's Studies Professor Ivy Schweitzer said knitting in class does not distract her, though she worries that knitters aren't taking notes. But she said knitters who have taken her classes have done very well.
"Maybe it helps the knitters to concentrate better on the lecture," Schweitzer said.
Schweitzer said she, too, loves to knit and that the trend is not just among students. "There are women faculty members who knit and do needlework in meetings," she said.
Knitting has traditionally been considered a domestic, feminine activity, but many knitters are working to break the mold.
"I think it takes a certain attitude to knit because it is perceived as such a 'domestic' activity. I find it to be a fairly bold statement to pursue the activity of a 'traditional female' without actually being one in many respects," Dodson said.
Schweitzer asked, "Knitting has been pegged as a traditionally 'feminine activity' but why can't feminists enjoy it?"
Some men knit as well, Schweitzer said. White said several men have enrolled in her Miniversity classes.
Some non-knitters confess that they did have traditional images of knitters, but said they are becoming more open to the activity.
"All I could picture was grandma in her rocking chair, but I see more and more people doing it and now I think it's awesome," Ann Melander '97 said.
Though knitting may seem a practical form of artful relaxation, some knitters associate a philosophy of life with the activity. "Knitting is the art of making things work out. It's an analogy for life, you create something from nothing," White said.
Kirsten Stromberg '94 said, "Knitting brings that which was once separate and discarded pieces of scraps, together into a beautiful creation."
