Cheers to the Chicago Tribune for this article about social worker Jo Anne Smith, LCSW,  using knitting to reach out to inmates at the Cook County Jail.

Smith, 57, who has been knitting since a teenager, used to do mitigation work in the public defenders office. She decided to offer a knitting class to female inmates to help them stay calm and build self esteem from creating useful items such as sweaters and baby clothes.

One of her clients was a woman who was developmentally disabled and a prostitute. She didn’t think she could knit but decided to take Smith’s class. This inmate told a judge the class proved she could accomplish when she set her mind to it.

“[The judge]  is now paying for her to go to get GED classes,” Smith said.