Is Knitting making a comeback ?
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Many people think of knitting as something that is done mostly by little old ladies rocking away in their rocking chairs, knitting for grandchildren…. While this is definitely still one awesome demographic of our knitting community. There has been a surge in Knitting within the younger generations over the past decade or two!
I was born in the mid 80’s so when I was a young teen in the early 2000’s it certainly wasn’t “cool” to knit. But luckily for me I had a number of friends who all enjoyed crafting, so when we were in our teens we would often get together with knitting needles in hand, and we would knit & chat for hours and hours!
No we never were technically “cool” kids. However when you really think about it, how cool is it to be able to turn an ordinary ball of yarn into a pair of gloves or a hat in one afternoon!
Why Knit when you can buy it?
One of the things that I have been asked more times than I can count is: “why would you make that when it takes you hours to do and you can buy one at the store for $19.95?”…
Well the answer to that is simple… Because; it’s fun, relaxing, enjoyable, and at the end of it you have an item which is truly unique. Plus you can say, “I made that and isn’t it awesome :)”.
…You don’t knit things to try to save money that’s for sure… (unless you happen to have a ton of yarn laying around, and then I guess you actually could! :)).
But honestly the reason to knit is because it’s fun, relaxing, and knitting has all kinds of health benefits too! So yes you could buy that hat for under $20 and it will cost you $10 to $20 for the yarn plus 10 hours to make it… But if you bought the generic version will it really be as awesome? 🙂
Knitting through a pandemic!
Especially in the past few years with COVID keeping us all at home more then usual. knitting through a pandemic is the perfect pastime, and it seems that there has been quite a huge surge in people taking up the craft!
Join an online knitting community or challenge your friends and family to take up knitting too.
Knitting between generations.
Knitting is a great way to bridge the generation gap! I always found that I loved the time I spent with my Grandmothers, and all of the elders in my life. Learning from them about specific things, hearing stories, or just learning about life in general was always something I loved.
But the one challenge especially when I was young was that I found it hard to instigate the connection, and I worried about whether we would have enough to talk about. The neat thing about knitting is that it can bring all age groups together because it has something to offer everyone. and it gives you something to do with your hands, and whether you are learning or teaching or just working on projects together, it’s a fun pastime which allows for conversation to flow or not!
Check out my Free Patterns
(they also come in more detailed PDF versions for a reasonable price on Etsy)
Knitting groups and our wonderful knitting community!
I would love to start a knitting group for ages 3 to 123, and have everyone get together once a month to knit and learn from each other while finishing/working on projects!.. Currently it’s not in the cards due to my way-to-busy schedule, but maybe in a year or two!
In the meantime though, check out some of the awesome online knitting forums. Or post comments on blogs like this one [comments can be posted at the bottom of all of my posts!]. We knitters are a fun community who though often introverted, also tend to love a good yarn debate/discussion!
So… is knitting making a comeback?
From what I can see, yes it is!
So let’s help keep the momentum going and help get everyone knitting!
If you know someone who might enjoy knitting, or if you yourself are considering taking up the craft, then:
Grab a pair of needles and a ball of yarn, along with your and your chosen way to learn (the best ways are: ask a friend to show you, watch youtube videos, or get a knitting how to book!… or you can always try trial and error, but I recommend getting started with the basics first!).
Whether you are 3 or 123 knitting is an awesome way to pass the time while still sharing the day with family and friends or watching your favorite tv program.
So Grab some yarn and a pair of needles and start creating!
Tip: if you want to show people how to knit, and don’t want to hand out your personal knitting needles, check out your local thrift shop! I have rarely been to a thrift store which doesn’t have a ton of knitting needles in all shapes and sizes (and they are usually only a dollar or two)! … They also often also have yarn, although I tend to be very picky if I’m going to buy second-hand yarn (make sure it doesn’t have a “smell”!). Or you can always pick up a ball of cotton yarn pretty cheap at your local craft supply store which can get someone going… Dishcloths are a great first project, and there are lots of cottons out there which are perfect for those and cost under $2-3 per ball!
That’s my weekly musing for this week!
Go out and see if you can inspire someone to take up knitting!
