Everything Old is New Again:

Along with the click of four-color pens and the occasional bleep of the obstreperous cell phone, the newest sound to be heard in Harvard's lecture halls is the click-clack of knitting needles. While it feels a little absurd to place this activity--formerly associated with hearthside grandmothers--alongside the yo-yo and the hula hoop in the ranks of the truly faddish, it's hard not to notice the conspicuous rise of "chicks who knit."

But why, besides projecting an image of "maternal chic," would one opt to spend hours of toil on a pair of socks when one could support the local sweatshop by picking up a pair at Filene's Basement? Like foxhunts, senior theses and binge drinking, the point is the process, not the end result. "Nothing says I love you like a pair of well-knit socks," claims Lowell House sophomore Michael C. Large.

Large is not alone in his appreciation for knitted items and the message they send. At Woolcott & Company, a knitting supply center, most purchases made by college-aged women and men are those shopping for a significant other. But you don't need a girlfriend or boyfriend to have an excuse to knit. Roommates and family members are also frequent recipients of those hats being knit in the back row of core history classes. Anna C. Lewis '99 knits for her family and roommates.

Besides socks, hats are also a popular hand-knit item. "I like hats because they're small and quick," explains Lewis. Besides hats, Lewis has knit six sweaters, one of which she donated to charity due to extreme malformation. Anna L. Malsberger '00 has made six hats since she started knitting a month ago. "My next project, once I've done enough hats to keep my friends' heads warm, is to make a uni-suit for Dac Nyugen '00. But he only wants one if I can make a butt flap."

How do busy Harvard students make time for knitting? According to Malsberger, optimal knitting time is while watching T.V., talking on the phone, or during a study break in the library. Several confessed to having knit in class, but Lewis has kicked the habit. "I decided it wasn't very polite." To compensate, Lewis has mastered the art of knitting while reading. "I like to have something to do with my hands," she explains. While no one has figured out a way to knit while typing, voice activation software may yet allow knitters to free their hands from the keyboard while e-mailing, creating yet another form of uber-procrastination.

Like all hobbies, knitting has a price. For Lewis, the price is over $100 a year. At Woolcott, a ball of yarn can range from $3 to $30 and beyond. Still, the rewards of knitting are vast. Malsberger and Lewis have both taught their roommates and friends to knit and according to Malsberger, knitting makes her a better friend. "Sometimes it helps me give good advice. You know: knitting, feeling maternal," she jokes. The friends and loved ones of knitters reap benefits as well: good advice, well-knit socks and all the uni-suits their hearts desire.