Knitting for Those in Need Collects Yarn to Serve Community

I wasn't the only one who was amused to learn that Diane Baldridge's goal this summer is to learn how to knit with needles. As of now she practices and teaches knitting on a loom. 

It just goes to show that even though the founder and president of Knitting for Those in Need is a dedicated leader, it is by no means a one-woman show. 

Baldridge first encountered knitting as a form of service while she was working at the Red Cross in 2006. Since then the idea has taken off as she has been invited to continue the project in classrooms, give lectures at the Women's Center on 's campus and collaborate with the knitting group. 

That momentum blossomed this past fall when, along with others, she created Knitting for Those in Need, or KTN. This student run organization at has collected 150 official members. They estimate that more than 300 people from both the university and Kent community have participated in one way or another since the group's inception about eight months ago. 

Most impressive yet, they have also been able to distribute 500 handmade items in this short amount of time. 

Currently, participants are asked to knit either hats or scarves that are then distributed to various social service groups, transitional housing organizations, and immigrant/refugee centers in the Kent, Ravenna and Akron areas. 

KTN is always looking to meet new needs and will soon be expanding their repertoire to washcloths and towels for organizations who demonstrate a need for such items. 

To help satisfy the demand for these useful goods, through the month of April at multiple locations in Kent. Donations are accepted in bins at , , , and The Laundry Basket.

The yarn can be of any type, amount or color, but it must be clean. If you have yarn to donate after April, drop it off at these locations or email dbaldrid@kent.edu for more information. 

Donating handmade goods is only a stitch in the fabric of this organization. While it is a central stitch, KTN also uses the simple skill of knitting to offer something valuable to all members of our community. 

Using the slogan "learn, create, serve," KTN teaches the craft of knitting whenever they can. 

According to Baldridge, it takes about 15 minutes to learn how to use a loom and a few hours to make a hat. KTN provides looms, knitting needles, yarn and lessons to participants during meetings. Participants have "everything they need to take this skill and serve others with it," Baldridge said.

Meetings are held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the "Fab Fourth" floor of every Monday and Friday during the semester. 

It doesn't end there. Avery Bounds teaches knitting classes at on Friday mornings from 10:30 until 11:30 a.m. 

Judith Rules, Alex Cochran and Josie Condon have also taught recent knitting classes at Verder Hall on Kent State's campus.

Knitting is a skill participants can continue to use throughout their lives. KTN requests that items made in these classes are donated in order to fuel the spirit of giving that is so central to KTN's mission.

This skill can empower almost anyone to help make life a little bit better for someone else. Knitting a hat or scarf "can help others give back — even if they feel like they are in the lowest possible place," Baldridge said. 

Shazadai Hughes is not a knitter and came to the group because she liked the idea of helping others. After talking with some of the other knitters and sitting down to make a scarf or two she discovered that she finds the activity relaxing. As many of us know, with the stressful demands of college a respite such as this can be a godsend. 

"It's addicting," said Patrice Conway, an especially ambitious member of the group. After being "tricked" into making a hat by Baldridge during a meeting last semester, Conway made 70 hats over winter break alone.

Just a glance at KTN's Facebook page tells you that this group has some serious momentum and energy. Not only do they work to help others, they also break many stereotypes. Some of which might be that knitters are the sitting-at-home type with a million cats, are much older, or even that knitters are only female. 

After a summer program at Asian Services in Action, Inc. where Baldridge taught a group of boys to knit, she was touched "to hear these young men telling me how much it meant to them to learn (how to knit)."

Over the last school year KTN has held many ingenious events to entice participants, including a date night where couples came to knit together, as well as multiple . Sometimes local businesses donate food or coffee for these events. Even fraternities have gotten involved. 

With all of this, it's not surprising that KTN has received two awards for such an energetic and successful year.

On Apr. 17, KTN was honored at the Student Leadership and Honors Awards Ceremony with the New Service Initiative 2011-2012 Award and a Service Excellence Award for the effect they have had at Kent State and in surrounding communities. 

KTN will continue to hold meetings on the fourth floor of Kent State's Library until the end of the spring semester. After that they plan on meeting in other public areas in Kent. Keep an eye on Facebook for summer meeting dates. "We want to make sure that in the fall we are ready to start giving," Baldridge said.

Baldridge is grateful to all who have lent their hands to KTN. "The community has been awesome," Bladridge said. 

Just like all those intricate stitches come together to "warm heads, warm necks, and warm hearts," our actions link together to lift us all up.