PRINCETON: Knitters perform in public

By Jennifer Bradley, Staff Writer
   The third annual worldwide knit in public day sponsored by the Princeton Public Library was held in Hinds Plaza on Saturday, June 9.
   ”The point of the day is to be seen knitting in public and encourage others to knit,” said Gayle Stratton, a Princeton public library staff member helping to lead the event. “We are in a prominent spot so a lot of people can see.”
   According to Ms. Stratton, knitting can be seen as a solitary activity, but it is also very social because people like to share what they are working on, learn new patterns and help others with their projects. Knitters of various ages sat at the tables in Hinds Plaza and worked on their knitting projects. Free knitting lessons were also offered.
   Jacquelyn Ridzy, 28, from Millstone Borough was one of the younger participants at the event and is a member of a group that knits in bars.
   ”Knitting in bars attracts attention, but that’s why we do it,” said Ms. Ridzy. “We want people to know that all sorts of people knit.”
   Ms. Ridzy said when they knit in bars some people laugh, but some of the servers or customers come up to her and her group and ask them to knit them something.
   ”We love to knit in public,” she said. “It’s more fun. Knitting is a great creative outlet and you produce something tangible and useful.”
   Jennifer Hinton from Princeton Township also came to the event with her two daughters, Emily and Liz.
   ”Knitting is a chance for people to be artistic and creative,” said Ms. Hinton. “Back in history when knitting was a necessity, people could put in a lot of originality rather than see knitting as just a mundane task.”
   According to Ms. Hinton, her daughter Emily likes to show her originality by creating her own patterns and knitting pictures into her work.
   Rachel Roat from Plainsboro sat at the table with the Hintons. She said she has knit on and off for 40 years.
   ”I think it’s great that young women are here today because knitting is typically associated with older women or grandmothers,” said Ms. Roat. “Some tools and yarn even get passed down from generation to generation.”
   Celeste Twamley from Kingston accompanied her knitting mentor, Ms. Roat.
   ”Running the home was very labor intensive in the past and knitting gave people a chance to sit down and still work,” said Ms. Twamley.
   Ms. Roat shared Ms. Twamley’s esteem for knitting.
   ”I think knitting would be a great curriculum for math,” said Ms. Roat. “I would like to see a knitting class introduced in schools.”
   Kathleen Gittleman, the owner of Pins and Needles in Princeton, helped run the event and taught people to knit during the day.
   ”Once you have the skills to knit you always have the skills because of muscle memory,” said Ms. Gittleman.
   Ms. Gittleman and Ms. Stratton said that both Pins and Needles and the Princeton Public Library have a number of knitting groups open to people of all ages and skill levels and they encourage everyone to get involved.