Here’s my photo of the latest arrival of Wollmeise Wool Mice in the shop. 🙂 Tricia from Earthly Hues sent us this amazing box of chocolates and when you open them up, there are two mice nestled into the layer on top. There must be a nut in there, but they’re too cute to eat. This company gets a lot of kudos for presentation. 
The whole wooden box of chocolates was tied up in a beautiful red ribbon with a gold wax seal on the front. That means that our postman wasn’t able to open it up, sneak some chocolate, and then deliver it to us later in the day. Not that he would do that. I’m sure not. (Now Brenda, the UPS gal just might. She loves chocolate and sometimes needs a handful of Loopy kisses to get her through the day…)
This gal is obviously not unwrapping Loopy kisses, or knitting, for that matter. Although maybe she will take it up now that she might be able to use her fingers again. (Holy cow.)
This month’s blog contest question is a two-parter. 1) Why do you knit? and 2) Do you think you’re a knitter-for-life or do you think that this is what you do “now” and you’ll move on to the next thing eventually? For me, I knit because I like having something to do that is relaxing. I knit because there are so many beautiful colors and fibers out there that I want to see done up. I knit because it’s something that Knitting Daughter and I can hang out and do together. I knit because I like hand-knit socks and scarves (and mitts and gloves and sweaters.) I knit because it can be very challenging, or very mindless, depending on what pattern I choose. And yes, I will be a knitter for life. I ran out of things that I wanted to cross-stitch long ago (and really, how many things like that do you need in your house?) and I caught up on my scrapbooks a few years ago (although I will still do that with current photos), but I can’t imagine running out of knitting inspirations, or the need for hand-knit items in my life. Plus, it will take me close to forever to use up half of the things in my stash. How about you? Why do you knit? And do you see yourself doing this for now, or forever? Leave your answer in the blog comments and we’ll draw the winners a week from today. (The prizes – Wollmeise. You’ll like it!)
Sheri wishingthatthefluorescentlightsinmyofficewouldstopbuzzinganddrivingmenuts
I just started knitting at age 60. My daughters discovered knitting and now they have drawn me in. It is a great way for us to be connected. My grand-mother was a knitter and I always thought that it was to hard to learn, but my girls (God-bless them) have shown me the light and I am working on my first,scarf, signed up for a knitting class and looking foward to soon starting my first pair of socks.
I knit for relaxation. It’s calming and, since I’m kind of a slow knitter, it forces me out of myself. I have to think about setting one stitch in front of another. 😉 I think that I’ll be a knitter for life since there’s always something I can learn about knitting and frankly, part of the appeal is that it’s portable. I’m not going to be quilting on a long car ride. (That hand sewing stuff is not for me!)
I believe that I’ll be a knitter for life. There’s so many wonderful yarns – and so many patterns – that I’m hooked. I did cross-stitch for many years too – but now save that for special complex patterns. I’ve ALWAYS got multiple projects on the needles – the great purple mohair afghan that’s almost done – two sweaters in various stages, multiple scarfs, etc… But, the yarns are it for me… wonderful fibers, hand dyed colors – so much yarn that I’ll never be able to knit all that I want to knit in my lifetime – but I’m going to try!!!
I knit because I love to create art, keep my hands and mind busy and to occupy my soul with something positive. I already know I’ll knit until my hands just can’t do it anymore, I don’t know what I would do with myself if I couldn’t knit. Crochet, maybe? 😉
I jsut started knitting a little over two years ago. I needed something to do in the car on our annual Thanksgiving drive to spouse’s family in Alabama. I thought I was going to make a chemo cap for my aunt. Ended up doing a scarf. After returning to MO after trip, discovered knit ins and the wonderful women who have shared their many tips and enthusiasm with me. I’m definitely a newly converted, life long knitter. Love the feel and colors of yarn, the portability of the projects, the mental challenges and the simple mindedness, depending on the project. Most of my projects end up either with a charity as a gift to a friend. Many would say I’m now addicted to knitting. As I have way more stash than I could possibly knit during the remainder of my life, I know I have to stay busy knitting to justify buying the latest gorgeous yarn that calls to me like a siren from the rocky shore. Afterall, as someone said, petting your yarn counts as using it.
I knit because I wanted to try all the crafty things. Between sewing and knitting, knitting has stuck hard. I love it because it’s portable. It’s meditative. It’s complex and easy all at once. It’s nice to sit and knit and let my mind wander, or watch tv, or ride in the car, and have something to do with my hands. And at the end of a long journey, or tv show series, I have something to wear. And I can look at my knitting and go, I was watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Great Grandmas’ when I turned that heel.
I’m a knitter for life. There will always be little dogs that need sweaters, babies that need hats and feet that need socks. 🙂
I knit because I find it fascinating watching a garment appear out of a series of loops, because I have a fibre addiction that needs to have a reason so DH doesn’t throw a wobbly when new fibre appears and because it gives me something to do no matter where I am.
I got back into knitting after my second son was born and like sewing and spinning I think it’ll be with me for life, especially as I have so many things on my to-do list that I don’t know when I’ll ever get them all done!
I knit because it gives my brain something to do. I enjoy multitasking but somehow, knitting keeps me relaxed – whether I am waiting for an appointment or watching television. If I am feeling particularly crazy, knitting allows me to zone out from the stress and focus on creating something lovely.
I knit because there are so many amazing colourways out there, I feel like I may never see the end of them!
Knitter for life!
I knit because my kindergarten teacher took an interest in me as she sat next door to my home waiting for her ride home. My mother was a single parent, we didn’t have many material possessions. My friend, Mattiel, had everything a child could want. Mattiel’s mother saw that her child was not interested in the Barbie knitting kit that she bought her so she gave it to me. Being a person of short stature, and being 5 years old and not knowing that I was different, my kindergarten teacher taught me how to knit after school because I was unable to run and play like my sister. Ms. Stella Williams opened up a new world for me…. the world of knitting. No one in my class or on my block knew how to knit. This made me feel special. It didn’t matter that I was laughed at for being so small….. I COULD KNIT and the others couldn’t. I love the way yarn feels on my fingers. I love the beautiful colors. I knit because my family loves the beautiful items that I create for them year after year.
1~ I knit because I must. It is my meditation at the end of a harried day, my solace when mourning a loved one, and my joy while reflecting on life and its wonderful variations. It is my passion when I am burning to create something with my hands. It is my self-expression in color, texture and dimension. It is how I protect my loved ones with warm wooly things. It is how I welcome new souls into this world. It my gift to new mothers whom I teach to ease their stress. It is my “pay it forward” to Kenny Partlow’s mother, who taught my 5th grade class at Marilyn Avenue School oh-so-many years ago, and gave me a lifetime gift. It is who I am. I knit.
2~ I am a knitter for life. I have been knitting for 34 years. I am also a graphic designer by profession; I crochet, needle felt, sew, and many other hands-on crafts. But I will always knit. I plan to be buried with my needles and my first blanket (just kidding–well, maybe).
I hadn’t knit since I was a 7 year old but picked up the needles again 4 years ago when my counselor advised I needed an outlet in my life. She gave me a week. Not only did I find knitting a wonderfully relaxing outlet but I have met some of the most wonderful people during my knitting travels. I find it extremely rewarding to turn fiber into beautiful garments. I love to get totally absorbed in a pattern and everything else in my life drifts away.
I have an absolute passion for knitting and it is now a huge part of who I am. If someone would have told me 5 years ago that I would take more time to plan my knitting for a vacation than I do planning clothes for the same trip, I would have told them they need a reality check. However, it’s true — wherever I go, so goes a project (or two or three …..).
I knit because it has become my therapy. I can choose to knit something soothing to my soul, or I can choose to knit something challenging for my brain. It is something I can do alone, but it is also very enjoyable to do with others. It is a joy to share the passion with someone who is also a knitter. I knit because it is rewarding to find that I can make beautiful things out of sticks and some string. I am pretty sure I’m in it for life, as long as my eyes and my hands hold out.
I am a knitter for life. I knit because my grandmother knit, my aunt knit, and people throughout history have knit. I love both the process and the product.
Why do I knit? I often joke that I knit to stay sane, but in a way that’s true.
I knit to provide an outlet for my creative drive. I design for knitting for the same reasons. I knit to keep my hands busy, which in turn keeps my mind in the room with me, and not wandering off chasing a thousand thoughts in their myriad directions. I knit to calm myself (it’s kept my kids alive, I’m sure). I knit when I need patience.
I also knit so that I can wrap my family in my love when I send them out of the house.
I knit because of all the fiber arts I’ve tried, this one gives me the most pleasure… it resonates in a way that crochet, needlepoint, cross-stitch, even sewing (and tatting, which I tried for a brief time) do not. I knit because even though it’s ever simple — ever the same — ever two simple stitches, it’s always new, always providing a learning opportunity, and always yielding truly useful products (I mean c’mon, how many doilies does a gal need?).
This one will stick. I’m sure I’ll be knitting until my hands are too gnarled with age to hold the needles anymore. And even then, I hope I’ll be teaching, guiding younger hands to form interlocking loops and lovely knitted objects. Part of why I think I’ll be at it til I can’t hold a needle is that I just enjoy it that much. But I also anticipate its longevity is that knitting has opened to meeting more new and delightful people that I’m blessed to have in my life in ways that none of my prior fiber arts adventures ever did. That… and the fact that my knitting queue is so long I’ll never finish all the projects.
I knit as much for the process as the result, as I don’t actually wear the socks I knit. I started knitting again after many years of owning and operating two women’s clothing boutiques, where I sold handknits and handwoven garments by the truckload, because I could feel arthritis setting in in my hands. I hoped to stall that process, while enjoying something to keep my hands busy, as well. I am mostly immobile because of severe arthritis, sit in an electric chair most of the day when I’m not at my computer in my study. I find it exciting to watch how the new self-patterning yarns and fun patterns develop…and especially like to knit toe-up socks with my own patterns now that I’m more experienced.
At 78, I expect that I’ll knit as long as my hands continue to function. I use an arthritis cream that works wonders!
Knitter for life! It is very satisfying to take string and pointy sticks, and make socks. AND, knitting is a very good diet aid – hands are busy, and must stay clean.
And since I have achieved SABLE (Stash Aquisition Beyond Life Expectancy, according to the Harlot), I must keep knitting! And buying yarn!
It’s just too much fun!
I’ve been knitting on and off for 30 years, but this time I’m really obsessed. The endless resources on the web, info on various techniques, free patterns, and multiple yarn purchase options, mean that there is an infinite number of knitting projects to try. So I don’t see myself getting bored or tired.
I now take my knitting everywhere.
What other activity is so creative, challenging, and also practical and productive? Beats any other hobby I can think of.
Best wishes,
Brenda
I knit to keep myself sane, my world is so upside down, and my son is autistic and he takes a tv and my folks whom are elderly take the other tv, so I am left with the computer. So I knit to keep the stress away, I knit to keep my hands busy. And sometimes I knit to keep people away so I can have a few minutes to think. I knit also because I like to do it, I like the feel of the yarn and looking at all the different types out there and wonder if I could just buy it and make something. I knit to see how it will turn out in the end. Each project is such a surprise. I knit because it makes me happy.
So you ask if I will be a knitter forever? My answer is yes, mostly because I want to see the magic unfold with each new project.
Why do I knit… because it allows me to use my creative juices whenever and where ever I want. Right now… my daughter is undergoing treatment for Leukemia and knitting is here. I knit because it soothes me. It gives my hands something to do while we spend endless hours and days in the hospital… I can put something together even when life is out of control. I can make order from chaos. Me, I’m a knitter for life!
I knit for many reasons. . . My hands need to stay busy, no matter what the rest of my body is doing. I would rather do something constructive with them, than just bite my fingernails until they bleed. I love being able to do something that gets a reaction out of people. . . I have yet to find someone unimpressed when I kick a shoe off to show them my socks (the handknit ones, I mean) Knitting connects me to my grandmother (the one who taught me to knit), I just wish it hadn’t taken her passing to remind me of that. I love learning new things, and every new pattern brings something at least a little different. I love having something to show for my time. Am I knitter for life? You bet. Will I always be as obsessed as I currently am? Probably not. I am already starting with the spinning, which takes away from knitting time, though it does give me more yarn to knit 🙂 I think knitting will always have a place in my life, as long as I can still knit.
I knit for many reasons. One because it’s a great therapy, when you’re up or down you are still in that moment of twisting and turning yarns. Second is because I love to make homemade things. I love that I can make something that will keep my family warm.
Will I knit forever?? Absolutely. Before I started to knit I was a hard core scrapbooker, it’s all I did. But then I began to knit and it took over every other hobby I had ever enjoyed. My house is filled with yarn, patterns, needles, tape measures…They are all here to stay.
Question 1) Why do I knit? Because I like to create things (I hardly ever follow a pattern “exactly” and often make up my own), and watch something useful or cool emerge from that ball of yarn. I love to knit with my husband and daughter, and knitting friends. I like to challenge myself with new techniques, and I love to experiment with fibers and colors. I also find it a stress reducer, in my busy world.
2) Yes, I’m a knitter-for-life. I’ve knit for over 45 years, and still find that I have lots of new techniques and stitch designs to try, patterns to create, and friends and family (including family dogs!) to knit for who appreciate my offerings. I also like to teach others to knit, and pass along the skills that I’ve learned.
I knit for the repetition of doing something with my hands. I knit for the creative process I love to see something take shape under my hands. I knit for the satisfaction of the finished project to say to my self that yes, I did it and I love it. I knit for the calming and peacefulness of the whole process. There is nothing like sitting down with my needles after a stressful day and feeling the stress and tension wash away with each stitch. I knit for the joy of creation and seeing the look on others faces when I gift them a knitted object. It makes me happy. I knit for the beautiful fibers and colors, I love knitted socks, scarves, etc they make me so happy. I am a knitter for life. I love the portability of the knitting and that I can take it just about anywhere, and have. I plan to create for as long as possible.
I knit because I love to knit. It’s who I am. If I’m sitting, I’m knitting.
I am a knitter for life. I have been knitting for 55 years. That is a lifetime.
i knit for so many reasons; it’s soothing; and relaxing; and i love creating one of a kind items , especially now that ive also added on yarn dyeing.
spinning is next and i cant wait to see where this path I’ve taken will lead me to
Yes, I am a knitter for life – I only have to work on my abilities 😉
And I do knit because I like the challenge, because I love the outcomes, because the things I knit I could never buy in shops and – my son is allergic to every fabric except for wool and cotton…
I knit becuase I love yarn. I love spectacular indie dyed, plain old 220 solids, un-dyed, doesn’t matter I just love yarn.
I think knitting is forever with me. I flirt with crochet, and am having a long term affair with spinning but I will never leave knitting behind!
Well, I originally DIDN’T knit–I originally crocheted. I used to watch my grandma crochet, and I could never figure it out. One year, about four years after her death, I had a dream where it made sense, and then I wandered into a craft store, bought a do-it-yourself book, and went to town–learning to read a pattern was a must, because I HAD to know how to make stuff–don’t know why, it was a compulsion. And then, I realized that many of the magazines/books I were buying were bi-craftual, and I hated to be left out of anything, so I taught myself to knit.
And I knit for so many reasons… I knit to create, I knit to gift, I knit to lower my blood pressure. I knit to feel accomplished, I knit to meditate, I knit to excuse the copious amount of television I watch, and I knit to pretend I may actually outlive my stash ( *chortle*) I’ve been ‘yarning’ (because I still crochet) for nearly 12 years now… and it’s so much a part of me that explaining WHY I do it is like explaining WHY I breathe… I knit because there is yarn there and my fingers have time to be still…
I knit becasue I love it; I love doing something creative that occupies my hands and my brain and relaxes me. It’s the same reason I do rembroidery, needle point and make quilts. I love colour and yarn and design and having something that no one else has.
Will I keep going – I learnt to knit when I was 10, 32 years ago and I’m still going. I can’t go long without having somehting on the go and will keep knitting till it is not possible for me to continue. I knit (and embroiider and sew!) anywhere and anytime.
Well, I originally DIDN’T knit–I originally crocheted. I used to watch my grandma crochet, and I could never figure it out. One year, about four years after her death, I had a dream where it made sense, and then I wandered into a craft store, bought a do-it-yourself book, and went to town–learning to read a pattern was a must, because I HAD to know how to make stuff–don’t know why, it was a compulsion. And then, I realized that many of the magazines/books I were buying were bi-craftual, and I hated to be left out of anything, so I taught myself to knit.
And I knit for so many reasons… I knit to create, I knit to gift, I knit to lower my blood pressure. I knit to feel accomplished, I knit to meditate, I knit to excuse the copious amount of television I watch, and I knit to pretend I may actually outlive my stash ( *chortle*) I’ve been ‘yarning’ (because I still crochet) for nearly 12 years now… and it’s so much a part of me that explaining WHY I do it is like explaining WHY I breathe… I knit because there is yarn there and my fingers have time to be still… (And yes… I’ll be knitting until my fingers cramp up and I can no longer move from my chair.)
I started knitting for 2 reasons:
1. I moved to a foreign country, and joined a knitting group as a beginning knitter to make friends (it worked!);
2. I love being able to customise my clothes since I am 2 sizes different on the top and bottom;
and I keep knitting because it makes it easier to sit through my husband’s choice of movies 😉
I knit because I have always been amazed about the idea of making a jumper or anything you can wear or use for home decorations out of a simple yarn. The entire process, since you cast on your stitches to when the object you had in your mind comes out from your needles, is full of joy and expectations. I will surely be a knitter for the rest of my life, I need my portion of knitting per day…. they say ‘A apple a day keeps the doctor away’, for me it is ‘Some knitting a day keeps the doctor away’
I think that the main reason why I knit is to keep my otherwise busy brain occupied. Of course, it really helps that there are so many amazing patterns and yarns around!
Knitting for me is a hobby that comes and goes. I first started to knit when I was about 5 years old or so, knitted through most of school and then left it for nearly 10 years. Started up again before the turn of the century, and then left it again for another 4 years or so. dropped it again for another 8 months, and am now currently knitting up a storm with the approach of winter.
It really depends for me, but I have noticed that I desert my craft less often now than what I used to in the past (although I think that has something to do with me owning a credit card now and being able to get hold of the really yummy yarns that I see online that isn’t available here). Oh yes, and learning to spin and dye has also helped to keep the passion alive, lol.
I started knitting when I was sixteen. It has been one of the constants in my life. Yes, it was something that I would put down for awhile at times but it is something I always have come back to later. Now that I have discovered knitting with good yarn (before Ravelry I never had knitter friends and thus never knew there was more than just cheap yarn out there) the knitting experience has taken on new meaning. Before it was enjoyable to knit but something was missing. Now I know the pleasure of a good knit with an amazing yarn and a wonderful pattern. I imagine knitting will stay in my life. Heck, its been with me for over 23 years. Now I get to knit for my son and its so cool to hear him ask for something special and then make it for him. Its hard to pinpoint the “why” other than it is amazing to take a string and end up with a garment and know you made the transformation happen. Now that I spin I take it further by starting with a fleece. Its magic.
1) Why do I knit? First, because I thought I could do anything my three year older brother could do. He was a very sickly child with severe allergies and asthma. After a hospital bout, he was bored and needed something to do. Mother started teaching him to knit. She just happened to have to scarf kits. He got the beautiful heather gray with the bright red and blue yarns. I got stuck with the ugly shade of baby poop yellow/gold with dirty brown yarn. Nevertheless, I soon learned that we knitted in the same way as our personalities. He was laid back and knitted (and purled) very evenly. I, on the other hand, knitted tensely and purled a tad less tensely. When I would get my stitches so tight that I needed help, I hated to ask for help. I hated that “look” from Mother and the lecture that my stitches were so tight that she didn’t know if she could get the needle through them or not in order to get a row for me to be able to knit again. In the beginning, I knit due to my competitive nature.
Later, I knit because I am a survivor. Four years ago, I was laid off from a job. The next month I was diagnosed with stage 2+ breast cancer. Six weeks later I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. The cancer is in remission. The fibromyalgia, I strive to manage. I knit to fill some of the few waking hours I have. Amazingly, a project may eventually reach maturity if one persists. I knit to express love to family members. It is a legacy I can leave to them – someday.
Is it something I do now and move onto something else eventually? I have been involved in several crafts from time to time and usually come back to most of them time and time again. I have a hand pieced quilt in the attic that is completely hand pieced. It is to be lap quilted. It is partially lap quilted. When will I get back to that project? I don’t know. I received a very, very hurtful comment about it when I was first making it. It may never be finished now.
Right now knitting is a part of my life. If it again becomes insignificant, it will again be significant again and again.
Knitting is a way for me to relax.
I knit because i love colour. I knit because it is meditation to me. I knit because it brings me peace. I knit because i have teenagers .. need i say more ?
WIll i always be a knitter ? of course ..aren’t all knitters forever knitters?
I knit to help me focus. It’s very meditative for me & helps to center me – helps me focus on the tasks at hands or think through something that might be bothering me. (Of course, I must be knitting a “mindless” pattern in order to accomplish this, so I always have a simple project stashed in a bag somewhere.) It’s a process: focus-clarity-relaxation-renewed energy. That sounds pretty ‘zen’, but it works for me. :~)
I knit for several reasons. It’s relaxing and rolls back stressful days at work; I’m still a bit hyperactive and just sitting, empty-handed, on the sofa in the evenings with hubby staring at the tube would drive me insane; a great feeling of satisfaction when I complete an item; the on-going learning process – and I still am!!
I’m a life-long knitter. I learned at age 6 from Mom when I was down with the chicken-pox. In those days, they kept kids out of school for 2 full weeks; I was terribly bored, probably a real pain in the butt, and she thought to keep me resting but busy. That was in 1955. I’m still knitting.
I knit for a number of reasons, I think. I like to createa product to please others or myself, a knitted item tells much about your love for the receiver, I think. Knitting helps me to relax and forget about my busy everyday life for a while. I knit to stay away from boredom in situations I otherwise would have been bored to death (for example when husband watches sports on TV or when at boring meetings). I knit for the excitement of experiencing new yarns, new patterns and new techniques. And, I knit because it’s a lot of fun!
At the moment I think of myself as a life long knitter. I have loads of projects I want to try, and way too much yarn… But you never know how life turns out, so time will show whether I eventually turn out to actually be a knitter for life or not.
I took my first sock class this past fall even though I was buying yarn before I knew how to knit socks. I knit because it is relaxing but also because it is so portable. I can knit almost everywhere as opposed to needlepoint which needs better light, more tools, etc. I also knit because for some reason, I am not as worried about a challenge or difficulty – I can rip back and try again. That knowledge is very freeing.
I think that I will be a life-long knitter. I certainly am on my way to having enough stash!
I knit for the process: coming up with an idea, fleshing out the design, and then translating it to wool. I find it a very creative and satisfying process (OK, sometimes very frustrating, too – the perils of not using patters). And I am absolutely a life-long knitter. Other crafts may come and go, but even when I’m in the thoes of a new interest, I know it’s not a permanenet as knitting.
I started knitting (again) several years ago as a way to keep my hands busy while watching TV. I’m kinda hooked on socks because they’re small, portable, and only take me about two weeks to complete. It never ceases to amaze me that I can take one continuous (usually) piece of “string” and by working row after row of loops end up with a wearable object. I doubt that I will ever completely give up knitting unless my arthritis forces me to do just that.
I knit because I can.
Knitting soothes my soul on a bad day, and keeps my mind and my hands busy on a good one. I love the possibilities that knitting provides – size, shape, texture, color.. They can all be modified and adapted to suit my style, my whims, or my needs. My mother was a knitter, and I remember being excited about wearing the hats and mittens she would knit us. It’s a wonderful feeling to see my daughter get excited about the things that I make for her as well.
I am a knitter for life.. Between all of my stash, and fiber there’s no way I could stop! I’ve started teaching at my LYS as well, and I find it so rewarding. I’m in it for life and I love it!
I knit because I can crawl inside my current project and hide from the world! I knit because it’s my form of yoga. I knit because as a child I twirled my hair..now Iam an old lady and i use yarn instead!! I love the feel of it, I live the soothing look of it, and of course the finished project warms me all over. I’ll knit all my days and sometimes when I can’t sleep, my nights too.
I knit because it is a productive and restful opportunity to sit down! Yarn and needles in hand immediately produces a calmness and centering. I can plan the next hour, week, month or even decade ahead! Knitting transports me through my devotional time and prayer. With a multitude of stitches, I am able to center my prayers around those for whom I ask protection and blessings. Finished projects brings me great joy! Giving the gift of my hands fills me with immense blessing. It is truly more beneficial to the human spirit to give rather than receive!
Joyce Carrasco
Elgin IL
I knit to keep SANE! I teacher and by the end of the day, when I get home, I just want to kick up my feet and relax. I feel guitly sitting on the couch watching tv all night. But, if I have my knitting needles in hand, I can watch television and be productive simultaneously. In the past, I had the tendency to pick up a hobby for a few months and then move on to something new. My parents laughed that this would happen w/ knitting as well. They were wrong! I’ve been happily knitting for years now and really don’t see my love disapating any time soon :o)
I knit because I love making beautiful, unique, soft knitted things for people I love, and myself. Yes, I am a knitter for life, and beyond, I hope!
Nancy
Iowa
I’ve been knitting since I was small – sometimes with years in between spurts – and up til a few years ago – I only made scarves out of acrylic – that’s what my grandmother showed me, I didn’t have any way to learn anything new (Mimi lives in FL, I live in PA, it’s not easy to pop in for a lesson). I was back in a scarf knitting kick when I found a pattern for an illusion scarf that I thought would be perfect for my brother. I found an LYS that had Malabrigo Worsted in the the perfect colors – and knitting lessons – and I took a couple of classes (cables, socks) and then I realized how knitting was both calming and intellectually stimulating depending on what I needed at the time. I was always fidgety when I was watching TV or a movie, knitting calmed that down. I was always struggling to stay awake during conferences or lectures for my night classes, knitting keeps me focused on what the speaker is saying. Then I found a knitting group that I had a lot in common with, and our knitting nights are a great way to keep decompressed. If I’m having a rough week, a night with the crowd relaxes me, lets me vent, and get back to what I need to do the next day.
And then there’s the yarn! After I made that Malabrigo scarf, I started to destash my acyrlic, who knew that wool was soft? Who knew that alpaca was so amazing? There’s bamboo? I love yarn. I’m sure I’ve reached SABLE at this point – but I’m going to try!
I love being able to knit things for myself, for my family and friends, and just for knitting it in itself! I don’t know if I’ll reach the same knitter’s block spot that I have in the past, but I do know that even if I do, I’ll be back.
I knit because it’s relaxing. At least it was until I started doing lace and more complicated things and started thinking about doing my own designing. It was supposed to be something where I wouldn’t be compelled to do that. But what can I say, it’s so much fun! I used to knit a long time ago, but stopped because I really couldn’t find yarn and patterns I liked, but now the options are wonderful and endless. I also knit because I’ve just learned how to spin and I can’t wait to knit something from my own yarn and then there will be yarn and ideas and, well, yes, I think I probably will knit forever. Oh, and I have made some wonderful friends through Ravelry that I would not have met and gotten to know if it wasn’t for knitting. That’s probably the best reason 🙂
I knit because I am part of a long thread of women who use their hands to make things. I learned at my grandmother’s knee when I was six, on long cold mornings before the school bus came. I knit because my hands crave something to do when I sit down. I knit because I can knit out the wotties and knit in the calm. Will I knit for life? Yes, because I am part of a long thread and because it is what my hands and my heart know best.