If you sit in the back of a concert on campus, you might hear an unexpected sound: the slight click-click-click of knitting needles. Upon investigation, the odds are that you will find Beth Bontrager, an administrative assistant in the Mennonite Historical Library and subscription manager at The Mennonite Quarterly Review. Along with her professional work, Bontrager is an avid knitter — and she has been for years. “My grandmother was an avid knitter, tatterer, crocheter, sewer, [and] quilter,” Bontrager said. “[She] and my mother taught me to knit when I was … 8 years old.” Wherever she goes, it seems...

By Daniel James • October 28, 2022 • Features

Knitting will be one of the primary homework assignments for students enrolled in Spiritual Writings of Women for this year's May Term. The course will be taught by Malinda Berry in her final teaching course at Goshen College. According to Berry, one of the main projects will be participation in a "knitalong," which involves several knitters committing to the same project at the same time, either in separate locations or in the same community. "It's a term that started in the knitting blogosphere," said Berry, visiting scholar in religion and women's studies. The project is inspired by Psalm 139:13, "For...

By Laura Schlabach • April 1, 2009 • News