It’s 11 p.m. on a Thursday and four students are seated peacefully in a well lit room, filled with beautiful plants.
They’re also surrounded by enough yarn to make sweaters for the entire school.
“I started coming here because of the sheep on the posters but then later realized that It was really relaxing,” said Algonquin student Catherine Arbour while knitting herself a bookmark.
It’s another session of Knit’ n’ Knatter, a weekly knitting club held by the coordinator of the Spiritual Centre, Shelley Neilson.
Julie Christensen is the newest member of the group. Knitting is a skill she’s always wanted to pursue and this club is a social way to help her learn.
People tend to come and go as the school year goes on but some of the core members like Lyn Caruana have been coming for a while now. Caruana was one of the only participants crocheting instead of knitting.
Knitting is said to reduce stress, improve your mood and motor skills. These are all things that are beneficial to students everywhere. The Spiritual Centre is an inclusive space that welcomes people from every religion and belief system.
Neilson welcomes everyone to join the group; she has yarn and needles to spare and is a very patient teacher. She’s been knitting from a very young age and explains that once you’ve learned, it’s something you remember forever.
“Not only can you sit, relax and knit, but you produce some beautiful things. It’s very creative so besides being a stress reliever it’s a real creative outlet,” Neilson said.
Stop by the Spiritual Centre to maybe learn a new hobby Thursdays from 11-1p.m.