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‘Kmt one, purl two' The culture of knitting sur- vived the modernization of the last century when machines started doing the work that hands once mastered. But can it survive the informa- tion age, where intricate panems are usually woven into computer hard-drives and not into sweater tops? And more importantly, can an activity that requires time and patience be considered cool when dwindling attention spans and a sense of the immediacy are stressed over those old world val- ues? Sandra Schwartz. a third-year fine arts student at Wilfrid Lauder University, thinks that "knit one, purl two" still has some cachet in modern vocabulary. That's why she helped found the City of Waterloo's Knit Purl Girl program for girls ages seven to 13. And the hm and funky fashions and designs can all be found in the modern edifice to advancement in Waterloo as part of the cultural programs being offered at the new RIM Park. Young girls learn the art of knitting through new program offered at RIM Park "We're trying to show that knit- ting can be hm arid cool." said Schwartz. who has been knitting since she was 10 years old, and continues to do so with modern materials such as wire and mesh. Those space-aged elements have allowed her to create modem works of material art, in addition to functional and funky fashions that are still able to turn the heads of her fashion conscious peers at the local university. And she thinks the skills she's teaching to the class of girls at RIM Park will also give them a chance to be creative with fashions, acces- sories, crafts, gifts and more during BY Boa Vnmc - Chronicle Staff "You can do hm things like knit jewelry. purses and funky clothes," said Schwartz. "You don't have to follow the guidelines to be cool. this age of inrettiory "You can knit with anything. I like to knit with wire to create jew- elry, but you can knit with rope or whatever you want." Knit Purl Girl instructor Sandra Schwartz. left, is trying to make knitting cool for the next generation of girls like Courtney Chikon, right. Schwartz said there are many new techniques and new materials available to make modern knitting quite different from the pastime that her grandmother once prac- tised. "There's different ways of doing it, as you can see by the big needles I have here," said Schwartz, reveal- ing a pair of knitting needles that seem more fitting for the handspf a giant than for her slender artist's touch, "l think you can get away from LIFESTYLE the idea that we have to knit afghans and little booties for babies," she said. "We're doing fun things and that's basically how were trying to get away from it." Not that some element of the modern craftwork doesn't contain those echoes of the past. After all. you have to still learn to walk before you run, and the same holds true for knitting where certain basic stitches are necessary, like casting on, in order to have a jumping off point for later flights of fancy. Her class, which began meeting Oct. 18. started with a basic project of knitting a purse. They hope to move on to something more chal- hanging like a funky hat, before she lets their imagination carry them away. "i want it to be something new for young people to do," said Schwartz, who thinks there is a movement afoot to reclaim tradi- tional folk art and to modernize it. "I thinkan is really important, and lthinkthat ans and crattsare real- ly important." And although Schwartz is hop- ing to spark interest in knitting locally. she's already seen evidence of the reinvigoration of the art form in parts of the U.S., like New York City, where knitting has become trendy again. "In this area we have a strong community of Knitters, but we need to bring in the younger gen- eration m keep it going," said Schwartz. Ht's very therapeutic, and it's something you can sit and do for hours. "It's a challenge too. Every time you do it, you can do something different." Members of the group trying to bridge the generation gap in local knitting circles are Courtney Chilton, Molly Wagner and Molly Patterson, who have joined the Thursday night class at RIM Park to learn the craft. Chilton said her interest in knit- ting came from watching her grandmother knit creations she later wore. The 10-year-old was looking for a program in which she could learn how to do it herself, instead of always asking someone else to do it for her. "I hope to do some cool things with it, like knit sweaters and all kinds of stuff," said Chilton. Chilton was joined in the class by her best friend Molly Wagner who also wanted to continue on a tradition that was once carried on by grandmothers on both sides of her family. "It looks really fun to do because you get to knit clothes and all that," said Wagner. "lt always Continued on page " mm In“: Trivia lovers are admon- ished to forget Who Wants to be a Millionaire. disdain The Weakest Link and avoid putting them- selves in Jeopardy. Instead, they can capital- izeonallthat otherwise use- less information by attend- ing the second annual St. Jerome's University Trivia Challenge, Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m. in" the University's Community Centre. - This is a University of Waterloo Homecoming 2001 event and money raised will support the scholarship program at St. Jerome's St. Jerome's University hosts trivia challenge Using a team tourna- ment trivia format. tables of participants share their expertise to correctly answer 100 questions in all areas of general knowledge. The team scoring the high- est total can select from valuable prizes provided by such generous sponsors as Chartwell's (Compass Group Canada), the Huether Hotel Lion Brewery and Museum, Mongolian Grill, 5016 Restaurant and Wine Bar, Theatre & Company. The Waterloo Inn and Win-Leader Corp. It will also have its name forever inscribed on the Bragging Rights Trophy. Pizza and snacks are induded in the admission and thetewillbearashbar.Tickets are $12 per person, $20 per couple and $75 per table and are available from Harry kalage at 834-811], ext, 255 or thAiageuwatedoaca "In FIIAIBIIIG Ask for details my. MI I In PM Ir?., A'l'?tl'lll,