Following a successful turnout at their first Do-It-Yourself knitting party last semester, DIY UA, a Creative Campus project, will host a second event Thursday, Feb. 28.
The gatherings are for old and new knitters alike, and include a tutorial by Talia Scarpelli, a sophomore majoring in art and knitter since fifth grade.
“I am instructing the attendees on the basic knit and purl stitches,” Scarpelli said. “I am terrible at making hats, though so I’ll be learning that with them.”
Katie Howard, Creative Campus project lead for the DIY knitting event, said the second gathering comes in response to the positive feedback from the first event.
“A bunch of people came and even asked to do another, and really it’s become this response and answer kind of thing which is really cool,” Howard said. “It’s really a community thing.”
Attendees will need to bring their own needles and yarn and will be instructed first on the pearl and knit stitches. Following the basic stitches, Scarpelli will guide attendees in knitting hats.
Howard said this time, though, the event prepares for future events where crafters will knit for a cause.
“This DIY event kind of segues into future events where we make hats for patients going through chemo,” Howard said. “It’s a really fun thing to do but especially when it’s for a really good cause.”
Scarpelli said not only is the craft beneficial to others, but it is also personally soothing.
“Knitting can be a very therapeutic exercise, so it could be a stress reliever for some people,” Scarpelli said. “Once you learn how to knit, it is addictive, you want to knit things for all your friends and practice different stitches and patterns. So it’s both fun and relaxing, and I don’t think people should discard it as an old cat lady type hobby.”
Knitting is just one of the ways Creative Campus and DIY UA try to bring creativity, exploration and community to campus. Past events include the previous knitting session and a bleach-printed T-shirt event; future projects include a “cooking in the dorm” video series.
“DIY encourages people to be creative, and the different sorts of crafts that Creative Campus DIY does give people a lot of opportunities to find something they’re good at or they enjoy doing,” Scarpelli said. “Sometimes in the sea of meetings and homework people have in college, personal creativity gets pushed to the wayside and doesn’t get a chance to develop.”
The DIY UA “knitting party” will take place Thursday, Feb. 28 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Maxwell Hall. Howard said attendees simply need to bring “your needles, yarn and DIY attitude.”
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