If you were to step into Tucker Hall on a Tuesday or Thursday night, you would find yourself surrounded by the gentle tapping of knitting needles, courtesy of the College of William and Mary’s very own Knitting Club. The Knitting Club, according to many of its dedicated members, weaves people together in a stress-free environment for an hour each week, encouraging members of all talent and knowledge levels to stop by and work on their current projects.
To many, knitting may seem tricky, but even the struggling beginner will eventually unravel themselves from the initial difficulties of learning this precise skill. President Anna Sepulveda ’25, social media coordinator Kendra Griessel ’25 and club member Annie Sheppard ’26 each recalled failing and giving up on knitting upon their first tries before finding home and joy in the hobby.
“My mom taught me when I was pretty young, but it didn’t stick for me,” Griessel said. “Later on, I had a friend teach me when I was around 11 — she was actually the former president of this club.”
For many club members, a family connection was often what first got them into the hobby. But unlike Griessel, Sepulveda and Sheppard’s knitting origin stories began with crocheting.
“My grandma taught me how to crochet when I was eight or nine. She tried to teach me how to knit, but, like Kendra, it didn’t stick, so I joined Knitting Club as a crocheter in my freshman year,” Sepulveda said.
Sheppard highlighted many similar themes, such as the aforementioned family spark.
“My sister crochets, and I tried to learn over the summer, but I kind of failed,” Sheppard said. “I heard about Knitting Club and thought I’d love to learn how to knit.”
Sepulveda assured that knitting can be a relaxing hobby, but that it can also be quite frustrating until after the learning curve. She explained that building a smooth, consistent knitting rhythm and mastering tension take practice.
Sheppard, who had never knitted before joining the club this year, noted that it took two meetings and a couple of YouTube videos to learn. As a lefty, Sheppard appreciated fellow left-handed members who could help teach her properly, unlike her right-handed sister.
“I keep messing up, but I’m getting a lot better,” Sheppard said.
Knitting Club works to be a calm, safe space for students to dedicate time to working on their hobby and to clear their minds from schoolwork and screen time.
“When I’m focusing on knitting, all of the other little tasks and voices in my head just go away,” Sepulveda said. “It’s a good mental release for me.”
Sheppard felt the same, highlighting many of the positive benefits that knitting can have for those who participate.
“[Knitting’s] a nice break and a way to do something with your hands,” Sheppard said. “Knitting quiets your mind, and it’s a nice vibe.”
For many, relaxing these days might mean scrolling through Instagram, watching YouTube or playing video games, but Griessel expressed appreciation for how knitting gives the eyes a break and the hands something else to do besides holding a phone.
At the Knitting Club, the members believe anyone can knit and anyone is welcome, crocheters included, to join the circle. Sepulveda shared that she prides herself and her fellow knitters on crafting a positive, friendly environment with a relaxed atmosphere.
“You can talk if you feel like talking, but, if you don’t, you can still be around people without the pressure to socialize,” Sepulveda said. “We’re very antisocial-friendly.”
Socializing is, of course, still very much encouraged, and the room where meetings take place is almost never silent. Griessel also described how meetings are often backdropped by movies or music from a collaborative Spotify playlist to help add to the atmosphere. The most recently featured film was ‘80s classic, “Clue.”
With work, class, assignments and graduate school applications filling Sepulveda’s schedule, setting time aside for knitting is crucial for maintaining a sense of balance. At present, her current project is a cardigan for a friend’s birthday. Griessel, meanwhile, is progressing on a blanket, which, she admitted, will likely be a longer project. Larger projects like Griessel’s blanket, and other more complex patterns like cardigans, are optional but available for anyone at any level who wants to take on the challenge.
For beginners who want to contribute to a larger project but are not yet confident in their skills, Knitting Club has an ongoing, club-wide project made of nothing more than basic stitches. Simple knit squares are sewn into quilts for the Williamsburg House of Mercy’s homelessness care center each semester, as part of a collective effort to knit a difference in the community beyond campus.
From socks to hats to scarves to quilts, Knitting Club wants to ensure anyone has the freedom to make anything. Dues are optional for the organization, deadlines do not exist and members are welcome to come as often as they want.
“Nobody here is forcing you to do anything, and it’s really nice to have the time and space to do whatever project you’re working on,” Sheppard said.
Though a skill-based club with some members working with high-level projects, Knitting Club seeks to still be very beginner-friendly and beginner-oriented. After all, Sepulveda stressed that the main goal of the club is to get people into the hobby and excited about knitting.
“Everyone here is so nice and willing to help anyone else, so it’s a special community we have,” Sepulveda said.
For budding knitters and crocheters who want to join the community, club meetings are held in Tucker 120 on Tuesday and Tucker 111 Thursday from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., with no supplies required except an open mind and open hands.