During winter break, Jennifer Garcia ’10 gave her aunt, who was undergoing chemotherapy at the time, a scarf she had knitted as a gift. This gift would give Garcia the inspiration to create a new knitting club on campus.

“She ended up loving it, and told me that hospitals give cancer patients knitted items to keep them warm,” Garcia said. “I had always noticed that many people around campus knit, so I decided to get in contact with knitters I knew to see if they would be interested in knitting for hospitals in our area.”

Elizabeth Trammell ’10 was attracted to the club not only because of the charitable focus, but because she finds knitting to be a relaxing activity.

“It’s enjoyable to experiment with the different textures and colors of yarn,” Trammell said. “I’d recommend it to anyone because it’s a low-key, low-time commitment activity that really relieves stress from the daily grind.”

Garcia contacted Trammell and after registering with the WSA, the group began advertising across campus, putting up posters at campus locations like Mocon and the Campus Center. News of the club alsospread by word of mouth.

“My friend lives on the same hall as Jenn [Garcia], who created the club this year,” said Megan Hughes ’10. “She told me she was going to a knitting meeting, so I tagged along.”

The response to the founding of the club has been impressive.

“It’s amazing to me to see how many people knit in just one dorm,” said Trammell, adding that she would like to see more upperclassmen at the meetings.

There are about 15 members in the club, although attendance varies from week to week. The group meets Saturdays at 2 p.m. in Fauver’s third floor lounge. Yarn and needles are provided for everyone and beginners are welcomed.

“It’s a very casual meeting, and we usually have snacks and tea while knitting,” Garcia said.

WesKnitters is not the first club of its kind on campus. In years past, a knitting club called Stitch N’ Bitch was very popular, though it is currently inactive.

Interest in knitting among college students is not particular to this generation or to this campus.

“My mom knitted the most when she was in college, too, and that was a long time ago,” Trammell said. “I think it just has an appeal for college students because it’s an inexpensive way to be creative, make gifts for people, or make things for yourself. I definitely don’t think that it has a stigma of just being for ‘little old ladies.’”

Trammell learned how to knit during her senior year of high school so she could make a scarf for her grandmother for Christmas.

“My grandmother really means a lot to me, so being able to surprise her on Christmas was an incredible feeling,” Trammell said. “She was really touched.”

The WSA student group webpage has the group listed as “WesKnitters—Knit it to give it.” Though the creation of a knitting club is not a new idea, Garcia believes that WesKnitters’ emphasis on producing for charity is unique.

“Our goal is to knit for charities, so the more members, the more we can accomplish,” Garcia said.

The group is currently working on making baby caps for the local hospital.