Knitting has never been so cool. According to the Craft Yarn Council of America, the number of knitters under the age of 35 increased by over 400 per cent between 1998 and 2000.
The knitting circle concept was fundamentally redrawn when Debbie Stoller ran an announcement in Bust looking for knitters who wanted to get together, knit, and just hang out.
The internet has been vitally important in spreading and sustaining the knitting (and crafting in general) revolution. You can find or keep up-to-date, and discover countless knitting patterns and techniques. Web sites and message boards bring together communities of knitters and crafters the world over.
Knitting also gives you the power to choose what materials you are using and where they come from. You can buy organic cotton. You can buy wool sheared and spun on a family farm. You can recycle old knit garments and saris. You probably won’t knit your entire wardrobe for the rest of your life. You may only ever finish one or two scarves. But through knitting, you have the power of choice, and when you have choice, you can make positive decisions, no matter how small they seem.
“When we knit with this attention, we have an almost indescribable feeling of satisfaction and contentment,” says Manning in her book Mindful Knitting. Given that the most commonly reported reason for knitting is stress reduction, it should come as no surprise that there are spiritual fringe benefits to picking up a pair of needles.
Knit on!
Whether you knit because it’s relaxing, to make a social statement, or because you want to make stuff, knitting puts power in your hands.
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