Learning knitting, doing good

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Thanks to a small group of Rosemount kids, a few homeless animals will be a little bit cozier.

For the past three Saturdays the students have spent part of their Saturday afternoons at the Robert Trail Library to learn their slip stitches from their popcorn stitches and create wool blankets to line the cages of rescued dogs and cats. Over three weeks the class drew nearly 30 kids.

This is the second group of knitting sessions the library has held this year. Employees from Rosemount’s Yarn Garage were there at each session to teach anyone who needed to learn

“We really like working with the kids, because these are lifetime customers and clients,” said Yarn Garage employee Linda Krueger, who led two of the three recent sessions. “The kids like to do it. They’ve heard good things about it.”

The five knitters at the library’s meeting room last weekend worked quietly. With drinks and snacks on the table in front of them they pulled yarn from brightly colored balls and wrapped it around thick knitting needles, working it into small, colorful blankets.

A few of the kids who showed up for the classes were brand new to the craft, but others were experienced knitters.

Monique and Shale Demuth learned to knit from their grandmother. They’ve made scarves, and both say they’re working on squares for a quilt. Lauren Brooks has been knitting for years.

“I made a beanie bag,” she said. “I tried to make a purse, but it didn’t work. I made blankets for my sisters’ Barbies.”

Jessica Carpenter and Melissa Heilman didn’t have as much experience before they showed up for the first class three weeks ago, but Krueger said they picked things up quickly.

The kids had gotten good enough at making their blankets that Krueger had time to work on her own projects. She said the kids who have shown up so far have enjoyed themselves.

“I think they like the creativity of it,” she said. “They can pick the colors. They can grow in it. It’s a nice opportunity to come and learn something.”

Most of the kids who show up for the classes are girls, but the second of the three recent classes drew two boys.

“We’ve got a small nugget of guys who come and knit regularly,” Krueger said. “Some of them are real accomplished knitters.”

Tags: homeless animals, lifestyle, kids, knitting