Stitch ‘n’ Bitch:Knitting groups help ease stress
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This is not your grandmother’s knitting circle.
Instead, it’s dubbed Stitch ‘n’ Bitch, a movement cropping up on campuses and in coffee shops, yarn stores and homes across the country. Beyond the opportunity to get together and knit, some members say the groups serve as a kind of therapy that helps them think through their problems and relieve stress.
“It is very, very therapeutic,” said Jamie Hirsch, a University of Georgia student who helped start a group at the Campus Center for Jewish Life in Athens. “I am a very firm believer that there is such a thing as knitting therapy.”
Dr. Joan Lang, a knitter and chairwoman of the department of psychiatry at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine, said she would recommended the craft to anyone who is “feeling out of sorts and edgy.”
Lang, who takes her yarn and needles to work meetings and knitting conventions, said knitting is a soothing, repetitive activity that allows people to contemplate more than just their to-do lists.
“You can get into the rhythm of it,” she said. “That stills the chatter that tends to constantly preoccupy us. When that chatter is stilled, you find that you can contemplate things in kind of a reverie sort of state that’s very, very soothing.”
While knitting has a connection to mental health, these increasingly popular groups show there’s an important social dimension to the craft, said Diane Samdahl, a University of Georgia associate professor in recreation and leisure studies.
“In a culture that is stressful and alienating, people are turning more and more to leisure as a place to build community, to feel that sense of belonging,” she said.
Georgia student Molly Levinson, whose completed charcoal gray scarf (a stress reliever during finals, she says) was modeled and praised by friends at a recent knitting session, said her group provides an outlet to talk about frustrations with the craft as well as in her life.
“We’re all struggling with the same things, getting through the same stuff in college,” she said. “It’s nice to knit as a group. You don’t have to sit by yourself and feel like a grandmother.”
Another healthy connection: the personal satisfaction of creating scarves and other items, for themselves or for others.
“Almost anything you make can be quite attractive. People love to get it,” Lang said. “The other thing that’s good about it: It’s kind of a sensory pleasure. The yarns are lovely to touch. They can be soft or silky or shimmery, with interesting textures and sparkles.”
At a large university such as Georgia, with more than 30,000 students, the knitting group was formed partly as an outreach for students to form relationships, said group co-founder Emily Ackman, a Jewish center staff member.
“It provides a bonding experience for people. They’re talking about knitting, other aspects of life,” she said. “Because UGA is so big, every student needs to find something that helps them connect, to be able to bond with people.”
Knitting allows students to channel restless energy in a productive way, whether they’re alone or with others, said the Rev. Lesley Adams, who started a weekly group called Handwork/Soulwork at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in New York about four years ago.
“People really talk about what is going on with them. That’s what we invite them to do,” Adams said. “Somebody’s struggling, asking, ‘Is this where I belong, should this be my major, what about a relationship problem, how should I deal with my professor?'”
But Debbie Stoller, who founded a Stitch ‘n’ Bitch group in New York City copied by others in Chicago, Los Angeles and other cities, said she doesn’t want to attach any goal to the hobby.
“I know people want to say it’s the new yoga. I almost feel wary saying it has a purpose beyond just the pleasure of it,” said Stoller, also author of “Stitch ‘n’ Bitch: The Knitter’s Handbook.”
The groups draw many young professionals who live in cities and may lead isolated lives outside of their hectic jobs but want to share their skills with others and socialize in a relaxed setting, she said.
“I think it’s really satisfying to have something in your life that’s just to do so you can relax,” Stoller said. “It’s not about making money, getting thinner. It’s just about doing something for the pleasure of it.”