Hand knitting has been around for arguably thousands of years, though in modern times its popularity has waxed and waned. Waldorf schools around the world have long recognized that teaching young children handicrafts helps develop their fine motor and analytical skills. The great thing is, libraries can promote knitting, too! Currently, knitting is very popular and many libraries have started their own knitting circles. Here are several reasons to start a knitting circle for tweens at your library and a step-by-step list on how to get started: relaxation: knitting promotes a relaxing feeling similar to the effects of mediation; it hones general literacy skills, math literacy, and other academic skills; the whole process helps build self esteem, something that is extremely important for everyone but especially tweens; it’s fun way to spend time with friends; it may even help teach people to learn to code. Step 1 Start a knitting club for adults. My adult knitting group meets…