Monday nights at Coffee Perk are occupied by regular customers, students looking for a quiet place to study and a small group of knitters. This group, which on average has about eight people at each meeting, is Stitch ‘n Bitch.

Stitch ‘n Bitch groups are a worldwide phenomenon, inspired by a series of knitting books  by Debbie Stoller. The organization’s Web site, stitchnbitch.org, includes instructions and guidelines on how to start a Stitch ‘n Bitch group.

Leesa Phaneuf-Reynolds started Walla Walla’s Stitch ‘n Bitch in September of 2008, after moving to Walla Walla from Pittsburgh, where she was active in another group.

“I started the group here because I was new to the area and wanted to meet some people, but also because I’m fairly new to knitting and wanted to be able to learn from other knitters,” she said.

Others explained that knitting is becoming increasingly popular among younger generations.

“I think knitting is having a revival in a way,” said Julie Carter, another member of the Walla Walla Stitch ‘n Bitch group. “I think the new generation is looking at it as more than just your grandmother’s afghan or square quilt.”

Carter, who moved from the East Coast and currently works in Penrose Library, joined the group to meet new people and work on her knitting. Having recently learned how to knit, she found that Stitch ‘n Bitch was a great way to make friends while working on fun projects.

“Since it’s ‘built in’ to my schedule, it sort of forces me to work on projects. Otherwise they sort of sit in my house. So I’ve got this built-in weekly time where I work on my knitting,” she said.

Not only does the group help new knitters, it also gives back to the community. Lina Menard, Whitman College’s Community Service Coordinator, organized a knitting Winterim in order to knit things for charity.

While the group is made up mostly of Whitman College staff, faculty and students, anyone is welcome to attend. For some, the group meetings are a way to relax after the first day of the work week; for others, it’s simply a time to enjoy some quality company.

“We have really wonderful ladies in our group right now. They’re all interesting and fun to be around and we enjoy each other very much,” said Phaneuf-Reynolds.  “Lots of laughing along with the knitting.”

Stitch ‘n Bitch meets every Monday at 7 p.m. in Coffee Perk, located at 4 S. 1st Ave.