People will be all tangled up in a class at the Butler County Parks and Recreation office, 184 Alameda Park Road, Thursday night. But they will leave with handsome handiwork to keep them warm.

During Arm Knitting 101, first-time knitters will make scarves without knitting needles. Instead, they'll use their arms.

“It's faster, less complicated,” said Ashley Helmstaedter, program and aquatic manager for Butler County Parks and Recreation.

Helmstaedter wanted participants to go home with a finished project at the end of a two-hour arm-knitting class offered in December. Most of the participants in that class did not know how to knit.

“I went with two of my good friends. It was like a girls' night out,” said Megan Muchicko of Butler Township. “We had a blast.”

“All three of us went home with a completed scarf,” Muchicko said. “They all turned out really well.”

“People had a good time,” Helmstaedter said.

Word about the class got out, and soon there was interest in repeating it.

“We had a demand for it on Facebook,” Helmstaedter said.

Yvonne Bartmas will be the arm-knitting instructor again.

“I'm a big Pinterest fan,” Bartmas said. “I had seen this really cool scarf.”

She wanted to learn how to make one even though she had never knitted before, with or without knitting needles.

“I kind of picked it up on my own. It took a few tries,” said Bartmas, a mental health therapist and director of Behavioral Health Rehabilitative Services.

When she talks about arm knitting, Bartmas said, “I get a lot of funny looks. They ask me, 'What are you talking about?' and 'How do you do that?'”

The class will be “hands on.” She plans to give even more individual attention in Thursday's class than she did in December.

“She took time with us one-on-one to make sure we were all on the same page,” Helmstaedter said.

“The funny part is you're kind of shackled to yourself,” Helmstaedter said. “You're kind of handcuffed there.”

Helmstaedter's scarf was made from yarn that was a combination of hot pink and purple.

“I've worn it several times,” she said. “It's a lot of material. I think I got a little carried away when I was creating it.”

“It was nice as people got the hang of it. I encouraged them to help their neighbors,” Bartmas said.

In this week's class, participants will make infinity scarves. When finished, the ends of the knitted piece will be joined to make a circle. If large enough, the scarf can be wrapped around the wearer's neck more than once. There is no need to tie the scarf, so it's easy to wear for warmth or as an accessory.

According to Bartmas, the length and width of the scarf varies, but usually she needs two skeins of yarn to make a scarf.

“I am kind of short myself. That's why I leave the option to make it whatever length you want,” Bartmas said. “I think they look nice on everybody.”

Lisa Krack of Darn Yarn Needles and Thread, 253 Mercer St., Harmony, has taught arm knitting at the store.

“It takes a very bulky weight yarn,” Krack said. In her experience, for most yarn of this weight, the knitter works with more than one strand at a time. If desired, the knitter can mix styles and colors of yarn in one scarf.

Bartmas adds a large button to the scarf as decoration, but it also can be a way to join the two ends of the knitted piece. In that case, a crocheted loop can connect the button to the other end of the scarf.

“The instant gratification makes it especially popular,” Krack said of arm knitting.

“Social media has raised the awareness of this kind of stuff. They make it and post it,” Krack said.

She said some people learn very well with online videos, but some people do better with live instruction.

Krack said arm knitting can be a good way to teach children and adults how to knit.

“That hand-eye coordination thing with the needles is difficult for some people,” Krack said.

After arm knitting, the person understands how the stitches look and how the knotting in the stitches is going to work, she said.

“They pick up regular knitting more easily,” Krack said.

Now that she's used arm knitting for scarves, Bartmas is thinking about what else she can make with the method. She has seen arm-knitted blankets.

“That's going to be eventually my next project,” Bartmas said.

When: 6 p.m. ThursdayWhere: Butler County Parks and Recreation office, 184 Alameda RoadRegistration deadline: TuesdayRegister: To register and pay the class fee, call 724-284-5383.4 Prior knitting experience not needed4 Supplies included in class fee