Knitting Group Provides Zen Moments For Male Convicts

Here’s a great story about how a Maryland knitter has taught more than 100 male prisoners to knit, and how it has helped transform them.

“I [wanted to teach] them something that I love that I really believe will make them focus and happy,” Zwerling says. “I really believe that it’s more than a craft. This has the ability to transform you.”
The men were reluctant at first, complaining that knitting was too girly or too difficult. But Zwerling assured them men had invented the craft, then gave them a five-minute knitting lesson she swears can teach anyone. Suddenly, Zwerling says, the men “found the zen,” and got hooked. Now, every Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m., they come to class, leaving their crimes and the hierarchies of prison life behind.

The men have knitted comfort dolls for children, hats for inner-city school kids and more. Read the inspirational story over on Good News. Thanks, Susan and Melissa!