This story was submitted by Blake Sinclair (10, J&C).

Manual now offers a knitting club free for anyone to join. The club meets every other Tuesday in the library from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., providing a place for non-experienced and experienced knitters alike to socialize and knit.

“The purpose of knitting club is to have a space in Manual dedicated to community building and connection,” Abby Sanders (12, HSU), a leader of the club, said. “It is our goal to create a place for students to go to spend time with friends and take a moment to de-stress,” Sanders said.

Before COVID-19, the knitting club would meet at Treyton Oak Towers, a senior center, to knit with the residents there. There, the members of the club would socialize and build friendships with the residents.

“Unfortunately, COVID has made in-person interaction with those in the homes not possible. As a result, the knitting club is now more Manual focused. We hope to return to doing outreach projects in the future, but for now, we are building up a community of knitters within the school,” Sanders said.

Although Manual is currently unable to visit Treyton Oak Towers, the pandemic hasn’t stopped students from joining. There are currently upwards of 90 people in the club.

“Knitting club is really fun,” Rahim Kahloon (10, MST), a member of the club, said. “It was a good opportunity to meet other sophomores outside my class and learn a new skill with my friends,” Kahloon said. 

“I enjoy knitting club because it is an opportunity for me to relieve myself from the pressures of school,” Harris Galijatovic (11, YPAS), a member, said. “It also gives me something to look forward to every other week,” Galijatovic said.

The act of knitting has many mental health benefits, such as reduced depression, anxiety, memory loss and lowered blood pressure. Knitting is also an extremely rewarding task, as you can create tangible items such as scarves and blankets. If you’re interested in learning more, you can follow @DMHSKNIT on Instagram and join their Remind.