In 2003 an article appeared in the New York Times about a primary school teacher who taught her class how to knit: ''Knitting is like sleeping,'' said one of the students, ''It's so quiet,'' said another. ''I'm usually very jittery, but when I knit, I calm down.'
The teacher taught 85 children and 20 adults how to knit. Although it started as a winter activity during break times, It grew so popular that the sessions continued through spring and summer up until the last day of school. They resumed as soon as school started in September. By the time the article was written, more than 250 of the school's 535 pupils were knitters. The principal has learned to knit along with the children.
Knitting teaches success through persistence, concentration, control, follow-through and mastery. Knitting itself improves fine-motor skills, hand-eye coordination and brain development. The children said they just liked it. ''When I'm bored, I knit,'' said one 10 year old. ''With knitting, you don't have a care in the world,'' said said another.
