Every Tuesday night the Ohio State Stitch ‘n Snitch club meets to “what else” stitch and snitch.
The club was founded last February by Stephanie Kuo, who got the idea from the book “Stitch ‘n Bitch” by Debbie Stoller. The book is an instructional book on knitting, geared towards a younger generation. The book also tells the reader how to start her own Stitch ‘n Bitch club. When Kuo came up with the idea to start a club at OSU, she was told that the name was not going to work out for an OSU sponsored club. She got creative with the name, and Stitch ‘n Snitch is what she came up with.
The name still represents what the original idea of the club was about. Anyone who is involved with the fiber arts, whether it be knitting, crocheting, or needlepoint, is welcome to come with friends, or come alone to meet new friends.
We posted fliers around all the arts buildings and around the main buildings on campus,” Kuo said about how she spread the word about the new club. “There were about twenty people at the first meeting, including three guys which was really exciting.”
There are hundreds of Stitch ‘n Bitch clubs around the country, and all are geared towards members under the age of 40. According to the Stitch ‘n Bitch Cleveland Web site, “we are actively recruiting sewers, yarn spinners, jewelry makers, beaders, cross-dressing cross-stitchers, any type of purse craftsperson, as well as gentleman knitters. People with a true gift for bitching but no knowledge of stitching fit right in.”
It’s a good theme for the club at OSU, which is a diverse mix of students who are welcoming and laid back. Many new faces have been attending, most of whom don’t know anything about knitting. The knitters who have been coming to the meetings for awhile lend a hand to help teach the newcomers.
Jayne Heinz, an undecided sophomore, has been to five Stitch ‘n Snitch meetings, and has been knitting as long as she can remember. At Tuesday night’s meeting she was busy teaching some knitting new-comers the basic techniques.
Christina Neveu, a member of the rowing team here at OSU, found out about the club at the involvement fair this year. Over 100 people signed up for information about our group, Kuo said of the Involvement fair.
Neveu just started coming to the Stitch ‘n Snitch meetings this year.
“I have been knitting for three years,” Neveu said. ” My parents gave me knitting lessons for Christmas, so I learned at home.” She said that she has met a lot of new friends in the group, and has also brought along some old friends who she has taught to knit herself.
Kuo, a senior in art history, said she has been knitting since she was 5 years old, but her interest increased in her senior year of high school. “I think that a lot of students knit because it reduces stress and you are creating something tangible that you can see in the end,” Kuo said.
Products are available at any craft store or specialty knitting store. There are new books being released often that are great aids for learning to knit at home.
