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J-Term at Carthage

J-Term 2010

No Idle Hands: The Social Context of Knitting

Kelsey Stewart, '10, is majoring in biology. For J-Term 2010, she wanted something different. "I didn't know how to knit," Kelsey said, explaining why she enrolled in the J-Term course No Idle Hands: The Social Context of Knitting. "I also wanted to take a relaxing J-Term because I'm a senior."

Social work professor Ruth Fangmeier refers to her knitting course as a reminder of what J-Term is supposed to be. The course is very popular — Kelsey had tried to take the course her freshman year but couldn't get in — and attracts students for many reasons. Students enjoy the relaxation the course offers, the satisfaction of learning a new hobby, and the laid-back atmosphere that lets them talk to their friends and meet new people.

Erika Geiger, '11, a history and social science major, took the course in memory of her grandmother, who recently passed away.

"My grandma knit a lot, and I never got to learn how to do it from her, so I figured why not learn how to at school during J-Term," Erika said.

The students chose what to make for the class, but there were two requirements: Every student had to donate one item to a charity of his or her choosing. Additionally, the entire class participated in a nationwide project that sends knit helmet liners to soldiers overseas.

Students hosted an open house Jan. 27 at the conclusion of the course, so people could see the students' projects and vote for their favorite.



Story by Elizabeth Reinhardt, '12
Photographs by Tess Beltran, '12