Knitwestern

Speaker 1 00:00:16 Today, we're getting into the nitty gritty of knit, Western Northwestern's knitting club knit. Western is a tight knit group of people that come together every Monday night to stitch and chop. I sat down with nit westerns, founder and former president Weinberg, senior, Sarah, to learn more. Speaker 2 00:00:37 How did Midwestern start? So it's kind of a long story. Actually, when I was looking for colleges originally, I was really interested in whether the schools that I was looking at, how to knit in club, like that's something that was on my list. Um, and if they didn't, how easy was it going to be for me to start a club? Because knitting has always been important to me. I learned how to knit when I was like nine. Um, and I've always used it as a way of creating community with other people and making things for other people to use. I, um, I was looking and I was thinking like, okay, so if there's not an eating club, I really want to start one because I have this passion and I want to continue doing it. And so when I toured Northwestern, I asked about the knitting club and they didn't have one yet, but they had this old faculty and staff knitting club that was called compassionate that had gone dormant a couple of years before I arrived here. Speaker 2 00:01:26 And so I emailed the old faculty advisor and I was like, Hey, is it going to be possible for me to restart this in a more student centered capacity? And she was like, yeah, if you get in, let me know, and we can discuss, you know, how to, how to go about starting it. And so long story short, I ended up here and I started the club because there still wasn't anything club. Um, and I really wanted to make that happen for Northwestern because again, it's really important to me. And so I talked to that advisor and I found a couple of friends that I had made, um, through classes and in my dorm and together we started the club in October of 2018, my freshman year. That's a great story. I really like it. Uh, so what's the goal of the Midwestern. Yeah. So broadly speaking, the goal is kind of, there's kind of two parts to this goal. Speaker 2 00:02:10 So the goal is to teach people how to knit and use those skills to make items in need and also create community. So maybe a three per goals of do the items been at Northwestern, uh, members knit are donated, um, as it says in your description, and as you've mentioned, uh, what organizations do you guys partner with? Yeah, so, um, in the past, we have worked with inspiration corporation, which is a really cool organicity that helps folks who are, um, unhoused and, or sort of navigating this space of potentially being, just being released from incarceration. And so they're kind of trying to figure out how to get on their feet. And so inspiration corporation is really dedicated to taking those folks in and helping them develop the kinds of skills that they need to be successful in the jobs that they want to do. And so we've donated it to them and we've also donated to the Howard brown youth center. Speaker 2 00:03:02 Um, and it's the Broadway center of Howard brown health, excuse me. Um, it's been a while since we had a donation for them, but they're a really, really great organization also in the city, um, that helps queer and trans youth. So like 12 to 24 year olds who are experiencing varying levels of like housing instability, um, potentially family issues. They might not have access to the kinds of medical and social services that, um, people who have more straightforward relationships with that kind of thing, especially with money tend to have. Um, and so the center will allow folks to just come in and get what they need basically. And so we've also worked with them in order to provide really colorful, fun items for those folks as well. So you can, you can go to that center and get a knitted item and you can get your HIV test and you can get help with school or with your job applications. You can get a checkup, you can get mental health care. It's a really great organization. Um, and then most recently last year we partnered with students organizing for labor rights, Northwestern to support Northwestern service workers and their families as the university really, um, did not step up and help them in a way that we felt that the Speaker 1 00:04:12 Needles to say net westerns foundation and initiatives are admirable to gain another perspective. I then spoke with new member Maya, who was a first year in Weinberg. What made you want to join that? Western? Speaker 3 00:04:25 I have been knitting for a while. It's something that I use to decompress something that I really enjoy doing. Um, it always gives my hands something to do when I need to, you know, read a long paper or if I want to watch TV Speaker 1 00:04:42 And it mustard offers a lot the chance to learn a new skill, a break from studying even philanthropy. What aspect of the club do you like best? Speaker 3 00:04:51 Oh, that's a really good question because I like all those aspects of the club, but I think the one thing that Western does a really good job of doing is emphasizing the fact that knitting is a way to bring people together as a community, um, be that, you know, working towards the goal of creating things to donate, um, or just knitting together and making an activity that is usually considered a solo endeavor into something more, you know, communal Speaker 1 00:05:20 I don't know about you, but net Western has me hooked. You can join the club by DM-ing them on Instagram at nit Western that's K N I T Western emailing [email protected] or showing up to a meeting anytime before letting my interviewees go. I have to ask them one last thing. What is their favorite item they have ever needed for Sarah? It was Speaker 2 00:05:44 Better with a really pretty cable detail along the sleeves. Um, and it took me a really long time to make that. And that's probably what I'm most proud Speaker 1 00:05:50 Of and for Maya, Speaker 3 00:05:52 The heart with the super thick yard. And so it was huge. It was probably like three feet tall Speaker 1 00:05:57 And like two feet wide. You heard it here, listeners, if you're ever looking for a new hobby or a way to procrastinate on your homework, join nit Western