Local Mom Brings Irish Knitting to Pasadena

Knitting has gone from being Grandma’s pastime to a trendy hobby for Hollywood celebrity parents.  For Regina Mattern of Pasadena, knitting is a passionate part of her heritage that she wants to share with her family and the community.

Mattern married a Marine and moved from Ireland to Pasadena.  However, her love for her homeland has never left her.  This Pasadena mom hopes to share her love of Ireland through her knitting.  She has started selling some of her crafts online on www.etsy.com, an online store specializing in artisans that sell handmade goods, under the name Knitfittery.  She takes orders and can produce an item, such as a purse, in one to two days, as long the request is not unconventional and she does not have a flurry of other orders.

Mattern described the role of knitting in the National School System of Ireland. 

“Once you go into National School, at five, it’s a subject, just like English… Irish, Math, Knitting, Geography,” Mattern said.  Children are enrolled in National School until the age of eleven.  During her childhood, the knitting class was a half hour requirement for the girls, but boys did not have to complete the requirement, and were able to instead play soccer.

While the Irish tradition may appear to be a feminine art, Mattern’s ten year old son Cian and her seven year old daughter Erica both knit.  Mattern’s passion for knitting was fueled when her daughter came home with a knitting book from the library. 

“I was really upset and said, ‘You are not going to learn out of a book, I’ll teach you’,” recalls Mattern.  “I sat both of them down on the front porch and within minutes they picked it up.”

Mattern will be starting a series of beginner knitting classes on Saturdays and Mondays at the in the Festival at Pasadena.  The classes are open to anyone with an interest and are suitable for young and old.  Interestingly enough, there are three boys registered for the Saturday classes.

“In Ireland, knitting is part of who we are,” Mattern said.  “When I knit, it reminds me of back home.  I’m passionate about knitting and I miss Ireland so much.” 

Because there are differences in the instructions with American patterns, Mattern generally writes her own patterns out and designs each piece herself.

Plans are in the works for an intermediate workshop for more experienced knitters at A.C. Moore in Glen Burnie.  Additionally, at the suggestion of her son Cian, Knitfittery is working on conducting a knitting fundraiser in the near future for cancer patients.

Knitting has a tremendous side-benefit for children.

“My son has ADHD and knitting is very calming," said Mattern. " When he needs to calm down, I’ll say, ‘Let’s sit down and knit a while,’ and it really does calm him down.”

Eventually, Mattern hopes to operate a store to sell her products and continue teaching the time-honored art of knitting.  For more information on Knitfittery or for class schedules, visit the Knitfittery Facebook Fan Page.