By Stephanie Gattman, Truth Staff
sgattman@etruth.com
GOSHEN - Knitting classes gave Linda Altenhof a reason to get out of her pajamas in the morning and get going three years ago when she lost her job after 28 years.
Sher Gunden King learned the craft from her grandmother when she was 12, but began knitting in earnest while battling serious depression six years ago. Teaching her daughter helped bring her out of the illness.
Now the two are among a group forming YO! (Yarn Overcomers!), whose aim is to help the unemployed, underemployed and those affected by Elkhart County's struggling economy to cope with the stress in their lives by knitting.
"I have brothers and sisters affected by unemployment," Gunden King said.
She wanted to personally respond and began asking others to help. Things just began falling into place, she said, including the committee, supplies and venues for classes.
"This program has just come together naturally. Things have just come together as I've needed them," she said. "I feel like this program is really blessed."
National companies have been donating high-end yarns and knitting needles, and Gunden King credits President Obama for making Elkhart County's story "big."
"They (the companies) knew what I was saying was true," she said, because of Obama.
Lantern Moon of Portland, Ore., donated 50 pairs of expensive needles, and the owner also called local yarn shops and asked owners to write patterns for items YO! can knit and sell to sustain the group.
Kollage Yarns of Birmingham, Ala., sent 300 shanks of alternative-fiber yarn, including bamboo, corn and soy yarns, Gunden King said.
Thousands of dollars of yarns, needles and knitting accessories were donated by 10 companies. But that doesn't mean the group won't need more. Gunden King wants the community to be involved, and she's hoping people will donate yarn and needles from their personal stash so the group will continue to have a supply. "We can still use that," she said. "We really would love for the community to be involved. We would really welcome the donations."
Knitting has a calming effect, Gunden King said. It's also a boost to the self-esteem, especially when you see a finished product. "It really does help when you're going through a really rough patch," she said.
From her own experience, Gunden King knows the impact. She wants the group to help become a coping mechanism for the unemployed. "I know when you're in the throes of a depression, how difficult life is," she said.
"Knitting helps you think sometimes," she said.
She has a number of teachers lined up to help, all of whom are dedicated to making sure their students succeed, no matter how long it takes. "We're not going to let people fail," Gunden King said. "We are going to be there to support them."
The group wants men to be involved -- Paul Fry is on the eight-person YO! committee and has created sweaters, scarves and is working on a sampler afghan. He'll be teaching.
"Some of the best knitters are men," Gunden King said.
"Knitting is a phenomenal chick magnet," she said.
She hopes a knitting community will form to support each other, eventually creating a co-op to sell items that will support the organization. But that's a long-term goal.
Students' first project will be a wash cloth or a block that will be added to others and made into a blanket to donate to a local charity.