The House of the Good Shepherd Women’s Board members Tina Abello (left) and Valerie Dolasin host a weekly knitting club, providing comfort to domestic violence survivors.
“Once you get started, you get hooked on House of the Good Shepherd. It’s in your blood. You have to do it.”
— Volunteer Tina Abello, HGS Women’s Board member and Knitting Club co-founder.
The moms call it their “me time.” Knitting club happens every Wednesday morning at Catholic Charities’ House of the Good Shepherd, which provides transitional housing for survivors of domestic violence.
Each week, Tina and Valerie Dolasin, both on the House of the Good Shepherd Women’s Board, teach knitting to women living there. Tina and Valerie started the club a year ago, and they’ve witnessed its impact — in the hugs and smiles of moms they have taught, to the knitted hats, scarves, headbands, aprons, and ponchos the women proudly share.
Safety from domestic violence
Thanks to support from generous donors and the Women’s Board, it has served more than 6,000 women and children escaping violence at home. The holistic transitional housing and domestic violence recovery program empowers women to leave behind the cycle of violence and embrace a future full of hope and independence.
Residents stay at House of the Good Shepherd for up to 18 months and receive legal assistance, trauma-informed counseling, addiction services, education, child welfare, immigration, housing, employment, and health and medical services. Eight out of 10 women graduate with secured employment, permanent housing, and savings. Tina and Valerie’s knitting club is an extension of the holistic care and compassion residents receive.
A therapeutic and healing space
Tina, who has been on the Women’s Board for over 15 years, recruited Valerie to join her on the Board and create the knitting club. Over the last year, Tina and Valerie have taught a dozen moms how to knit. They start out slow with the yarn and needle. They put their hands over hands, teaching each mom the right steps to knit: “under, over, under, and out.”
“When they first come to knitting, they’re quiet and reserved,” Valerie says, “then we see them blossom with their personalities, with their knitting.”
The knitting circle welcomes moms into a space that’s as quiet as church, they say, but therapeutic for women who have endured so much to be where they are today.
“It’s really relaxing,” says one resident. “I just focus on the knitting and get lost in my thoughts.”
“This is like my therapy,” says another. “It’s my me time.”
Other moms come for the two enthusiastic volunteers who brighten their Wednesdays.
“Miss Tina and Valerie are sweethearts,” says Celeste*. “They make you feel comfortable. When I first started, I was nervous, but they helped me relax and get the flow of it. Once you get going, it’s easy. I’ve been coming over a year and I’ve never missed a day.”
Creating something new and beautiful
Residents’ first knitting attempts are saved and celebrated. Moms indulge in brightly colored and patterned yarns, attempting simple designs and using patterns for more complicated pieces with which Valerie assists.
“I learned to knit at the YMCA when I was 9 years old, but I didn’t do anything with it until COVID,” says Valerie. “Then a FedEx package arrived from a friend with a book, needles, yarn, and I went crazy from there.”
Tina started knitting and crocheting with her daughter when she was two years old. Now, her granddaughter just made her a hat. She takes great pride in the accomplishments of the mothers she’s accompanied at House of the Good Shepherd.
“They come in overwhelmed, then they flourish,” Tina says. “It’s such a great feeling seeing them finishing off a project.”
NEED HELP NOW? | Chicago DV Hotline 1-877-863-6338 | Cook County DV Hotline 1-800-603-4357 | Are you a victim of domestic violence and looking for a place to heal and recover? 773-935-3434