Students express themselves, relieve stress through knitting

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For Erin Batt, knitting is a family tradition that started 94 years ago in Germany.

“My great-grandmother gave me knitting lessons when I was 15 years old,” the Hillsdale senior said.

Batt said in Germany girls like her great-grandmother were taught knitting in school at age 4.

“She didn’t have girls, so she taught my mom and I,” she said. “She told me it was a part of my heritage.”

With a busy schedule, Batt manages her time to knit a scarf in one day, a sweater in a month and a large blanket in three months.

“It’s not easy to find time, but you can work it into your schedule,” she said.

When Batt finds spare time, she said she picks up her knitting needles and quickly works on a project.

“When my friends and I are watching a movie I’ll whip out the knitting,” she said.

Batt said she believes the hobby is a great way to relax.

“It takes patience and time, but it is very relaxing, especially when stuff gets stressful,” she said.

After years of knitting, Batt lost count of how many items she has made, but estimated more than 30 blankets, sweaters and slippers combined.

“Even though my friends jokingly call me ‘old lady,’ they are always happy when they get a sweater from me,” Batt said.

She said it is very rare she gets paid to knit for someone; she just likes to give them away as homemade presents.

“I don’t charge often, but every once in a while someone will make a big request and pay me for it,” Batt said.

Unlike Batt, Gladwin freshman Nathan Kistler makes and sells knitted hats for his Honors Program philanthropy project that raises funds for the Isabella Community Soup Kitchen, 621 S. Adams St.

“At the beginning of the school year when I wasn’t very busy I could make one hat per week,” Kistler said.

Kistler has been knitting for two years.

“My sister and I didn’t have anything to do, so as we watched an episode of Desperate Housewives, we saw someone knitting, so we taught ourselves,” Kistler said.

Kistler said he has continued to knit because he feels it is productive.

“I like it a lot better than playing video games,” Kistler said. “I can sit in front of a movie and knit.”

Kistler said there is no longer a double standard for girls and guys when it comes to knitting.

Meanwhile, Batt said she hopes knitting will become a lasting tradition throughout her family.

“I want to keep this in my family because it’s great for presents and it’s a great tool to have,” Batt said.

Batt has already taught her younger cousins and her friend, East Lansing senior Eric Denby, how to knit.

“I’m not really artistic, so I thought it would be a neat way to be creative,” Denby said.

Denby said he also picked up knitting to help break his smoking habit and calm him down.

Like Kistler, he said he feels the double standard society holds for girls knitting rather than guys is no longer a factor.

“I really don’t care about the gender specific rules society places on people,” Denby said.

He has only been knitting for two weeks and he said so far he has made an “extremely horrible dishcloth.”

“It is my goal to learn how to knit a nativity scene,” Denby said.