PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Amanda Winslow of Presque Isle was in fifth grade when she first tagged along with her grandmother, Wilma Winslow of Mapleton, to a knitting/crocheting class that the elder Winslow was teaching. The youngster had no idea then that she too would become a knitting/crochet student and use her knowledge to inspire other aspiring crafters.
Wilma Winslow has been teaching knitting and crocheting as part of Presque Isle High School’s Adult and Community Education program for 45 years and is a lifelong crafter. She began bringing her granddaughter on days when she was babysitting her and soon Amanda Winslow, now 16, realized that knitting and crocheting might be a fun activity to try.
“At first I would just draw while I was there but then I thought, ‘Maybe I should try that,’” the teen said recently. “So I started learning in class but I’d also go to my grandmother’s house and she would show me more techniques.”
Amanda Winslow later used her passion to create online video tutorials on knitting and crocheting, which she posted on her YouTube channel “Origami With Yarn.” She also donated materials and educational brochures to the Mark and Emily Turner Memorial Library to help people get started on the craft. The project recently earned her the Girl Scout Silver Award from Girl Scouts of Maine, the highest award that a Cadette Girl Scout can earn and the second highest award for Scouting overall.
In the 11-part video series, Wilma Wilson takes viewers through the basic steps of knitting and crocheting such as finding the right supplies, crocheting an easy doily, the knit and purl stitches, and making a granny square. Amanda Winslow included subtitles that explain the meaning behind specific knitting and crochet terms.
The most popular video in the series is, “Knitting Supplies for Beginners,” which has received 86 views while, “How to Crochet an Easy Doily,” is in second place at 73 views. The videos have become favorites of the elder Winslow’s students, who use them to brush up on their skills outside of class.
“Knitting and crocheting look easy, but they’re both very much an art form,” Amanda Winslow said. “We wanted to give people the foundation so that they could take it from there.”
The two spent a few hours at the library in Presque Isle one day, giving demonstrations and handing out knitting/crochet kits to anyone interested in learning the basics. Although she has not kept in touch with anyone,
Amanda Winslow hopes that participants left excited to take on a newfound hobby.
“We saw some kids around my age who had been volunteering at the library and came to watch us,” she said. “One woman had learned to knit before but stopped and wanted to get back to it again. Having my grandmother there was great because she’s been knitting and crocheting much longer than I have.”
While Amanda received her Silver Award at the Girl Scouts of Maine at the annual G.I.R.L. celebration at the Waterville Opera House on May 12, she completed her knitting/crochet project in 2017 before the end of her eighth-grade school year. The Silver Award is given to Girl Scouts who are in grades six through eight when they complete their project and encourages Scouts to come up with ideas that will have lasting impacts on their communities.
Other Girl Scouts from Aroostook County who received their Silver Awards this year are Karissa Farr and Brooke Harris, both of Ashland, who together designed and implemented a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics curriculum for their town’s summer recreation program.
“It’s not an award that you win. You have to put in the hours and the work for your project. When I found out, it felt like I had really earned the award,” Amanda Winslow said.
She hopes to one day follow in the footsteps of her older sister, Stephanie Winslow, and earn the Gold Award, the highest award that a Girl Scout can win, and become a lifelong member of Girl Scouts of Maine. Stephanie is a graduate of Presque Isle High School who earned her Silver Award by creating a music library for the school. Amanda first joined the Girl Scouts at age 5.
She still attends and helps out with her grandmother’s knitting/crocheting class and hopes that her project can inspire a new generation of crafters.
“I think the greatest thing my grandmother taught me about knitting and crocheting is that they’re both great stress relievers and ways that you can take time for yourself,” Amanda Winslow said. “I want to show that it’s not just for older people and that if people try, it can be really fun.”
