"I started talking, and she said, 'Stop. I know where you are, I know why you're calling, and I'm more than happy to help'," she recalls. Other shops--well known at least among knitters--also stepped up with large donations of yarn and needles.

All American christian attitude!

What a great article!!!

We have a non-profit group in Boise doing the same thing, with knitters of all ages. Their creations go to charity, too.

I've been unable to find a job for months, and knitting has really been an outlet for me to find peace and joy in a bad time. Not only is it relaxing, but making inexpensive yarn into gifts for babies at the children's hospital and useful items for my family has made me feel like my days are useful again. I hope that the people taking these classes are able to feel the same benefits as they learn.

When my job was eliminated three and a half years ago, crocheting saved my sanity. It gave my hands something useful to do. I also found it helpful and calming as I went through the last three years of my father's lfe with him.

Once he became bedridden, I sat by his bed and crocheted endlessly. That Chrismas every family member got scarves and hats.

I've finished college and havn't found a job yet, learning to knit has kept me sane! Elkhart needs all the support it can get. Thank you Sher Gunden King, for reaching out to nieghbors.

I, too, can attest to the calming effect of crocheting when you're stressed out or overwhelmed by the circumstances of life. My daughter knits with the same results. There is a reassurance in the repetitive rhythm and the "touch" involved. This is a wonderful project and all involved need to be thanked for their kind efforts. It's a win-win for everyone, and a really neat aspect of this is that the recipients of the finished items benefit by receiving a thoughtful, HANDMADE(!!!) gift that will be treasured. To circumvent the impersonal, de-humanizing "machines" that control our lives and our modern products is another plus. I hope the idea spreads to other stressed-out communities---goodness knows, with all the rotten conditions facing people nowadays, they are too numerous to count. Good luck, handcrafters everywhere!

When my position was eliminated five years ago in a management shuffle, I started knitting, and love it.

It is very relaxing, and I get to make scarves, hats, coasters, etc., which become presents for family and friends.

Knitting also doesn't require much mental effort, so I can simultaneously watch TV, talk to others, and even think about other things.

Knitting is a wonderful pastime.

Finally. A nice yarn. Thanx for sharing.

I went back to knitting after breaking an ankle a year ago & being off work for 8 weeks. It saved my sanity during that time, while also going through the build-up to a nasty child custody case & subsequent loss of relationship with my adult son. It gave me purpose when I couldn't think of anything else and had to do something with the excess emotional energy.

We are finally realizing the truth of generations past. Work done by hand is worthwhile, healthful and fulfilling. I hope we keep on this path and start our own kitchen gardens, raise our own children and maybe, just maybe stop relying on a television to tell us what "reality" is. Connect, only connect.

I don't knit but do crochet. I orginated from a small town in IL (Zion), there we had a small yarn shop that was in business for about 6 months. The owner had a "Stitch -n- @!$%#" night once a month. Just bring a project that you were working on and work on the project while talking to others. If you were having difficulty with your project, there was someone there to assist you. Personally I think more communities need this kind of gathering.

I use knitting, crocheting, and spinning yarn as stress and anxiety reducers since I became disabled, and making items for charitable causes gives me back a feeling of usefulness.

Ravelry.com (a knitters and crocheters community) has several groups of charity crafters that may be of interest to many.

I have been doing hand crafts for years: seed beading, cross stitch, crochet, and knitting just to name a few! It's best when you find others to work with because these hobbies just don't heal the heart, they help heal the soul. Another group activity to try is quilting circles. Put the quilt on a frame and everyone can work on different sides. Our church quilting group makes lap quilts for the elderly in nursing homes and baby quilts for new arrivals. It is a gift that means so much more because of the time and thought put into it. Best wishes to all you crafters! Find ways to share your talents. :)

I have just started knitting with Sher's help I am truly enjoying the experience! I find it is a great stress reliever. It helps me to focus on something else besides my troubles and I am being constructive at the same time!

I think that Sher is a great person for offering classes to the unemployed, she is offering some comfort in hard times to people that truly need it!

My Mother was always working on a knitting project and she tried so hard to teach me and I'm uncoordinated. My sister is left-handed, and Mom went just about crazy trying to teach her.

Mom had a heart attack shortly after New Years Day and quit smoking in the emergency room. The knitting stepped up to a FRANTIC pace and she continued for the next 13 years, logging 1500+ hours for her knitting group. She made hats, scarves, mittens and lap-robes for people living in shelter's or nursing homes. The last couple of years, her eyes were so bad she couldn't even read, but she didn't need to see to knit.

Sher is offering more then just craft lessons, I believe that knitting really relaxed Mom and I know that a lot of love goes into handmade items, even if they're for a faceless person.

Is there an address where we can send donations? I'd like to help in my own small way.

Knitting is yoga for the mind and soul and gets me through the bad and good times. Creating something is good for you and helps your self esteem as it shows you can do something and be someone.

I learned to knit, crochet, cross-stitch, and embroidery as a child. Even though I don't make enough time to do it now, when I get really stressed, I get out the needles and yarn!

i've been knitting my whole life and have taught others to knit. it is such an awesome experience to teach someone a skill that they can use to relieve anxiety and be creative at the same time, to use a craft as a form of expression.

what Sher Gunden King is doing by giving people a reason to get out of the house and giving them the means to acquire or hone a skill is necessary for the spirit, it gives people a sense of accomplishment, and in these trying times all victories are essential.

Contact information for YO! is listed in the Truth story which you can click on in this story.

A friend of mine knits in the winter when he isn't fishing. Calmest guy I know and one of the sharpest wits I've ever encountered. He certainly appears to on to something.

Tonight is the first night of a knitting and crochet circle/class that I am leading. Thank you for this story - It's so timely and it gives me confidence knowing there are others doing the same thing for the same reason.

About yarn - Yarn can be made from plastic bags cut into loops. (It's called "plarn" - short for plastic yarn). Since used plastic bags are everywhere, making items from plarn saves money (your supplies are free) plus you get green points for keeping those bags from going into landfills.

I saw contact info for YO! in the Elkhart Truth story which you can click on in the story above.

I have a fishing buddy who knits in the winter when he isn't fishing. He's the calmest guy I know and has the sharpest wit I've ever experienced. It's gotta be the knitting cause his fishing success would make most men swear!

The benefits of hand knitting also include delaying development of arthritis on hands. Knitting is addictive once you learn to enjoy it. Knitting is a simple craft that you can produce a durable product within a short time, with minimal effort and cost. It is always a welcome gift which will provide warmth and comfort for the recipient.

Knitting used to be an old Ladies' activity. I consider myself a "closet knitter". Actually, I knit only when I sit down to watch TV, thinking to kill two birds in one stone. With all these psychological and physical benefits to go with it, old ladies who knit are the smart people after all.

My local fiber guild, along with the two local yarn stores, now have gatherings just about every week -- second Saturdays here, third Tuesdays there -- because we can't get enough of getting together. It is partly about getting our knitting or spinning projects done, yes; but more than that the Knit Nights are our informal support group, a way to keep in touch with people who you know are on your side, whether you talk about your problems openly or not.

Knitting itself can be as simple or as complex as you choose, and wonderful therapy. It helped me recover from a fractured neck, and has given me something positive to focus on when the waters were over my head. I learned from a book .. give it a try!

Peggy, lots of towns have those knitting nights (though due to a copyright battle, they aren't called Stitch 'n Bxxxx anymore). If you're looking for one, I'd suggest searching on Ravelry.com, which is probably your best bet. You could also try searching on yahoo groups, which is where many of the groups organized prior to Ravelry.