CRLS students walking into the library on Tuesdays may not think to look left, at the glass-walled room adjacent to the elevator. Upon second glance, however, one may discover the Sit n Knit group, a selection of nine or ten knitters who gather to create fiber arts projects every week.
While the name implies knitting only, this is only for rhyming’s sake. Sit n Knit has been a place for of crocheters, quilters, mending, and embroidery; any fiber arts are welcome. There is only one qualification for attending: “Come with the knowledge of what you’re doing. To be clear, this is not a class,” Anne Crocket, the librarian who runs Sit n Knit, told the Register Forum.
Beginners should not be entirely scared off, however; for those who arrive with needles but without yarn, as we did, there is a small bag of fuzzy yarn that can be retrieved at your disposal. The tightly knit community environment and welcoming people draw in a plethora of fiber artists. Yoshika Wason, a Cambridge resident and longtime attendee of the Sit n Knit, explains how she got hooked: “I like to crochet as a hobby. That’s why I love Sit n Knit – I have the opportunity to get better at my hobby while meeting new people.”
Sit n Knit will be celebrating its one-year birthday this February. In the short span of its life, the group constituency has grown from three initial Sit n Knitters (at this, two proud hands shot up) to a core group of around eight or nine. “My hope was that Sit n Knit would provide the community spaces we all missed so much over the pandemic,” Crocket explained.
By all accounts, Sit n Knit is meeting these expectations so far. “The best thing about Sit n Knit, about this group, is that we attract all ages,” Crocket explained. “The intergenerational aspect is so valuable.” The sound of clicking needles is always accompanied by Sit n Knit conversations, which may include: (1) a discussion of the pros and cons of an air scrubber, (2) expansiveness in traditionally gendered hobbies, and (3) the possibility of a yarn drive.
Unlike many other librarians in the system who get rotated between library branches, Crocket has worked at the Main Branch library for seven years. She names CRLS student engagement as one of the best parts of the job. “Maybe it’s a little too lively sometimes, but certainly enjoyable. It’s funny to watch how teens] interact, and I think, ‘Was I really like that as a teen?’”
At this point in the conversation, another knitter piped up: “I used to look for boys in the library when I was young—if I’d had a library so close to my high school, I could have gotten so many boyfriends!”
The impact of Sit n Knit far outweighs its actual size. “The best part of being a librarian is being able to help somebody; sometimes that’s finding the resources they need, and sometimes that’s just sharing time together,” Crocker said. “Sit n Knit is my favorite afternoon of the week.”