Natomas Charter School students use knitting to give back while school is shut down

Having closed its doors March 13, Natomas Charter School’s eighth-graders are using knitting to combat the inherent stasis of shelter orders, while providing a sense of comfort to Sacramento’s less-fortunate children.

Jenell Novello’s art classes have crafted blankets for in-need children for eight years, where students are required to complete one 30-inch strip, which is then combined with others to create a child-sized blanket. The students’ work is then relayed through Sacramento Blankets for Sacramento Kids, who send blankets to more than 100 different organizations.

As students have shifted to remote learning, Novello was pleasantly surprised by an increased pace of production from her students, who she says received little instruction before seeing a dramatic shift in their school schedules.

She credits Natomas Charter’s focus on technology in its curriculum with easing the transition from in-person to online instruction.

“We made our needles (last Tuesday). They had maybe 10 to 15 minutes to learn the very basics, and I didn’t see them again before Thursday because we had a modified schedule,” Novello said. “I’m actually hosting three different Google meetups on Thursday. They’re specific to knitting, so my three class periods are invited to join. I can help them troubleshoot, just connect with each other since we’re out of school and have some time to get together.”

During this time of year, Novello says that she typically enjoys seeing students knitting in hallways, classes and in the bleachers or sidelines of a volleyball game.

But this year, amid school closures to prevent the spread of coronavirus, students have been doing so from the comfort of their own homes, where students unanimously agree that the craft pairs easily with family time and binge watching.

“It gives us more time to spend knitting when we don’t have anything else to do. I like to knit when I watch movies with my family and it’s easier to spend more time knitting,” said eighth-grader Katherine Berger.

Sacramento Blankets for Sacramento Kids’ Claire Gliddon, who goes by the title of chief blanket gatherer, says the craft can provide a sense of relief for the makers as well as those receiving blankets, which includes youth found at organizations such as Shriners Hospitals for Children, UC Davis Medical Center and Loaves and Fishes’ Mustard Seed School.

“One thing that a lot of people don’t know is that people who get depressed or are home by themselves, especially the elderly, but the young ones too, crocheting and knitting is a repetitive motion and it actually produces serotonin in your brain. It actually makes you feel better,” said Gliddon.

The nonprofit’s membership displays the hobby’s ability to bridge multiple generations, with the organization’s most junior member being a 6-year-old Daisy Scout and its most senior 103 years old.

Although many medical professionals have been advised against the use of fabric masks, the group is considering taking up the task to combat the scarcity of supplies.

Novello says that the philanthropic nature of her students’ work is not lost on them. Members of the community stop by the class to impart the impact of their work on the community, and in turn, their work is discussed at the end of the year as the present a portfolio to a panel of community members.

“I feel better about knitting because I know that it might go to something that could benefit the community, even after what the community has given back to me,” said eighth-grader Rylan Rubiono. “It also makes me feel a little grateful because I have not experienced what many of these kids are still going through.”