When College junior Sydney Scott was in fourth grade, her mother taught her how to knit. Now, after honing her knitting ability for over 10 years, Scott is using those skills for a good cause.
This semester, Scott is starting a new club — Stitch for Kids. The organization, which held its first meeting Wednesday night in Houston Hall, aims to build a community of knitters at Penn to make blankets for sick children.
“Knitting is a family thing. My aunt does a similar thing in Ohio. The first time she gave a child a hand-knit blanket, she said their eyes lit up,” Scott said, explaining her desire to start Stitch for Kids. “I wanted that connection.”
Stitch for Kids is affiliated with Project Linus, a national organization with local chapters in the area. Through Project Linus, Scott said she hopes to donate blankets to children at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and area shelters.
“Every kids needs a blanket,” she said.
She also said it might be possible to make hats for children receiving chemotherapy.
There are about 40 people, altogether, who have expressed interest in Stitch for Kids, Scott said.
She added that she didn’t initially expect to find many knitters at Penn. “As it turns out, there are some knitters in the closet,” she said.
College junior Laura Johnson, who attended the first meeting, said she was also surprised to find other students who knitted.
“I started knitting again because of [Sydney]. I used to only knit scarves but though I might as well do some useful. It’s a nice thing to do,” said Wharton junior Hillary Heimbach, a friend of Scott’s who attended the meeting last night.
Knitters of all skill levels are welcome, and Scott is planning on spending the first month of each semester teaching beginners how to knit. She has even prepared an informational PowerPoint presentation.
After that, Stitch for Kids will meet once a week to knit together and help each other with their current projects. Scott said it takes about 30 hours to knit one blanket.
For now, Scott is still working on some of the logistical details of the club. After she gauges interest in Stitch for Kids, Scott said the next steps include looking into affiliating Stitch for Kids with the Civic House, and — after one year — possibly obtaining funding from the Students Activities Council.
Scott also hopes to eventually hold a bake sale to raise money to purchase knitting materials.
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