Remember when you were little, and there was a time set aside each week in school for arts and crafts? Remember how awesome it was to stop learning about how to read or write or count or tie your shoes and just color? It was time to take a break, to relax, to zone out and forget about the stress of the world. Turns out, that was actually some pretty good advice. Advice that many students still use today.
Of course, as we’ve aged and (some of us) matured, the hobbies and talents have evolved with us. Some of us still color, some of us still nap. But many of us have found new ways to bide our time destress, procrastinate and get our creative juices flowing.
“I knit because it’s relaxing and I love having a hobby that’s useful. After I’m done with a project, I have something to show for it,” Sophomore Biology Major Jen Wahl said.
Knitting has grown in popularity on our campus due to the knitting courses taught every so often for January Interim Experience. These courses offer students the opportunity to learn about all the different styles of knitting used in different regions of the world.
“The feeling of the yarn between my fingers, the soft ‘clickity-clack’ of the needles as I begin a new row, the feeling of serenity as I slip into a trance watching each stitch disappear into the pattern of a new project—all these things contribute to my love of knitting. Knitting is an exhilarating hobby and a useful skill to have. In today’s culture of impatience, knitting is a hobby that teaches you patience and persistence,” First-year Tory Clark said.
Knitting has been around for a long time. Longer than TV, newspapers or sliced bread. The earliest piece of knitting ever to be discovered was a sock of some sort somewhere in the Middle East. So be proud and thankful when your girlfriend knits you a pair this coming Christmas. It’s tradition!
Socks, of course, are not the only thing knitting is good for: hats, mittens, scarves, gloves, Ipod cozies, beer cozies, those awkward half glove/half arm-warmer things.
Other students sew, creating new shirts or pants or skirts or dresses, or altering and repairing clothing for their friends. This can be a hard hobby to keep up with at school, as it requires space for a sewing machine and lots of thread. But sewing by hand can be a pretty rewarding experience, too.
If thread and yarn aren’t your style, you can always go way back to those early days and pick up a colored pencil or crayon. Maybe even a paintbrush or two and see what you can come up with.
“I like coloring in my free time and sending my friends the coloring pages to try and brighten their day,” Senior English Major Karina McQuarrie said.
Some students like to make collages or cards. “I really enjoy making homemade cards for friends and family. It gives me some time to put schoolwork aside and is pretty relaxing,” Senior Environmental Science Major Ali O’Neal said.
In many cases, the work students put into their hobbies isn’t just for their own benefit. Making things for friends or loved ones allows the effort put in to be enjoyed by more than just the creators.
“There is nothing like the feeling of accomplishment after you finish a project and say, “I made that!” However, the most rewarding part of knitting is being able to create hand-made gifts for friends and family. Seeing the look on a friend’s face when they put on a hat you made them for the first time is priceless,” Clark said.