In unusual school club, SF kids knit scarves for the homeless

It was a cold November day and San Francisco fifth-grader Mariah Bess was riding the bus home from school, past homeless people on the street.

She was just learning how to knit and had an idea.

“She said, ‘I want to knit scarves for homeless people, can I start a knitting club?’” recalled her John Muir Elementary School teacher, Joe Mannarino.

How could he say no?

“You don’t,” he said. “You go out and buy knitting needles.”

Mariah hung up a sign in her school hallway advertising the knitting club, with meetings Thursdays at lunch in Mannarino’s classroom.

The students at Muir aren’t wealthy — more than 75 percent come from low-income families, and some are homeless themselves. Mannarino wasn’t sure how many kids would want to spend their lunch recess knitting scarves. He thought maybe a few would come and hang out.

He was wrong.

About a dozen boys and girls are skipping foursquare for a ball of yarn, with some using sharpened pencils to knit scarves for the homeless because there aren’t always enough needles to go around.

Mariah and the other more experienced knitters, who learned to knit in large part by watching YouTube instructional videos, help those who are still learning.

Now, it’s not unusual to see a student walking down the hall and knitting, said Principal Shawn Mansager.

“It’s a little more than just making scarves for homeless families,” he said. “It’s also about building empathy and also creating strong relationships among (the students).”

Fifth-graders can sometimes get caught up in adolescent emotions and turmoil, but knitting seems to help alleviate that, Mannarino said.

“There’s never any drama in here,” he said as he watched the students hunched together, one helping another. “They can just come in here and be themselves — or just be.”

It’s the kind of activity than can soothe kids who are frustrated or overwhelmed by something that is happening at school or at home, the teacher said.

“What I like about knitting is it makes me feel calm,” said fourth-grader Terrence Hubbard, who joined the group. “If you’re feeling irritated, you can just knit.”

Researchers back up Terrence’s belief in the emotional benefits of knitting. The repetitive motion can be like meditation, pulling the brain away from daily stressors, experts say.

“It’s relaxing,” Mariah said, “and refreshing.”

Personal benefits aside, the lunchtime knitting circle is looking forward to a field trip to bring the finished scarves to their new owners. Mariah thinks the homeless recipients will like them.

“They’ll think they’re warm,” she said. “And they’ll think somebody gave it to them out of the kindness of their heart.”

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: jilltucker