Have you ever wished that you had the skill to knit a sweater for a loved one? Do you want to be able to make your own hats, scarves, or even plush animals? Rafi Foster ‘24 has you covered! Welcome to Knitting for Charity Club: the club that you can join at any level of knitting ability, as an expert or a complete beginner. The finished projects from the club, all under Rafi’s guidance, will be given to a variety of homeless shelters to help get through the rest of the cold weather season. In an interview with Rafi, he outlined his ideas and shared some of his reasons for pitching the idea for this club. 

Why did you start the club?

Well, I think I started the club because I just learned to knit a year ago and I liked it. And I thought, charity is good, so why not knit to give it to charity? 

What are you hoping to achieve in the club by the end of the year?

I definitely want to make at least one blanket, and it definitely depends on the number of people in the club, but a lot of hats. Hopefully a lot of hats. 

What is your plan for club members who don’t know how to knit?

Oh, there’s a big plan. First, I’m going to teach them the basic stitches, knitting and purling, and then they are going to do an exciting mini project where they knit a mini heart, and they’ll work on that for the week. Then they can keep the heart they made. 

What are the charities you are donating these items to?

We don’t have a definitive charity yet, but the hats are probably going to the Homeless Outreach Team. We’re still figuring out where the finished products are needed most.

Find Rafi in the halls, and you’ll see examples of his knitting proficiency in a variety of projects he wears (for example, a beautifully knit winter hat). He doesn’t take commissions at the moment but is more than happy to offer his guidance in creating your own wonderful accessories.

Meetings are held Wednesdays in the library at 1:20 pm (eat your lunch BEFORE coming to the club).