Building Community Through Craft: Meet Refugee Support Services’ Knit Together Group

Several weeks ago, I spent a morning with a small group of women in Charlotte, North Carolina. Quiet conversations in several languages swirled about the room as the women crocheted brightly colored flowers, potholders, cat toys and other projects. One woman shared fresh mint leaves from her garden, while another offered candy from Afghanistan. I had been invited to join a meeting of the Knit Together Group, a program of Refugee Support Services.

What is Refugee Support Services?

Refugee Support Services (RSS) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in Charlotte in 2006. The mission of RSS is to facilitate programs and intercultural relationships that promote individual autonomy, cultivate social capital, and enrich our community. RSS supports post-resettlement refugees, asylees, special immigrant visa holders, and their families living in the Charlotte area through a variety of programs.

Many cities in the US have non-profit refugee resettlement agencies who work with the government and other community agencies to welcome refugees and provide support for the first 90 days. But after 90 days, the refugee is on their own. That’s where RSS comes in. Three months simply isn’t enough time for most refugees to become comfortable navigating the complexities of life in America. RSS provides a safe, welcoming space to find help and community.

What is the Knit Together Group?

The Knit Together Group (KTG) is a program offered by RSS focusing on income opportunities, language practice, workforce development skills, and community connections in a supportive environment. Participants meet once a week. There is a a pre-school preparation program called Love & Learn on site in which their children may be enrolled.

On the day I visited, the group included members from Burma, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iraq, and Myanmar. Using donated yarn, the women knit and crochet a variety of projects. These items are then sold by RSS at craft fairs and community events around Charlotte. 100% of the proceeds of these sales are paid to the maker. The women are paid for each finished item they deliver. There is no one “teacher” at the meetings—knitting and crochet skills are passed from maker to maker, just as they have been for generations.

Amel al-Karkhi is known within the group for her skill in crocheting flowers. Originally from Iraq, Amel taught the other members to crochet roses which were sold for Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.

Misgana Gebremedhin was finishing the last of a batch of crocheted potholders. Misgana came to the US from Eritrea almost eight years ago. Her 3-year old was in the Love & Learn program working on skill development to get her ready for preschool. Misgana told me she enjoys KTG because the group feels like family and she learns a lot. She also appreciates the opportunity to earn a little extra money by crocheting.

More Than Just Making

Annie Koch, Knit Together Group Program Coordinator, plans a program for each week’s meeting. The topic when I attended was the upcoming Mother’s Day holiday. We talked about how Mother’s Day is celebrated in the United States, and the women spoke about similar days honoring mothers in their home countries. These programs provide the women with an opportunity to practice English conversation while sharing their cultural traditions.

Koch meets individually with each woman to inspect and record their finished projects, and to assign new projects. The women learn about quality control and meeting deadlines, skills that will serve them well in the workforce.

Moo Paw came to the United States from Burma 13 years ago. She is now a US citizen, and the mother of six. In addition to participating in KTG, Moo Paw volunteers to help more recent arrivals learn to thrive in America.

How You Can Help

Lindsay LaPlante, Executive Director of RSS, told me that human connection is the key to everything they do. She strives to make sure RSS offers a feeling of home, safety, and community to everyone who walks through the door. In 2022, RSS facilitated direct services to more than 800 program participants.

Much of RSS’s funding comes from individual donations. They welcome donations of cash via their website.

The Knit Together Group also depends on donations of yarn. They love vibrant colors and are particularly in need of worsted-weight cotton, bulky weight wool and wool blends, and bright multi-color worsted weight acrylic yarn. Yarn donations can be sent to: Refugee Support Services, Attn: KTG, 3925 Willard Farrow Dr, Charlotte, NC 28215.

Finally, LaPlante offered some parting words that will stick with me.

“Remember,” she said, “No one chooses to be a refugee. That label tells you nothing about the person other than that they arrived in this country under very difficult circumstances.”

What RSS offers is a place where each person is met with open arms, both literally and figuratively.

Sandi Rosner is the technical content editor for all things yarn at Interweave. When she isn’t knitting, she usually has her nose in a book. You’ll find new technical content from Sandi nearly every week at www.interweave.com.