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 knit to create. I’ve always been an artist / creator / experimentor. . . . . and also have always been a tad impatient. I taught myself when I was 5 or 6 because my Mom had too much on her plate with the other 5 children. I never got her to teach me so I snuck her magazines, some needles, and some wound yarn and just started following the diagrams.
My passion for the process has made knitting a very satisfying expression and extension of my excitement about making creative and utilitarian objects. I am definitely a knitter for LIFE. My studies, career, and family filled up my time but I always did just a little knitting. Now, I feel like I’ve exploded! I belong to the SABLE club (smirk) and Ravelry.com has fanned this knitter’s flame for more. . . . more. . .. . more. . . . . and right now! TLE has happily obliged my passion! The impatience is something I’m working on . . K1 P1 K1 P1 . . .. . .
I knit for the flow activity that it is. And yes,knitter for life!
Knitting is something I’ve done since I was 16. I have trouble staying in one place without doing more than one thing at a time. When I was 16 it was a cross-country car trip with my family…and when the sweet older woman taught me to knit it was immediately peaceful–I learned on dpns–metal size 3, 4, 5, and 6’s : still have the needles though now I don’t have the leg warmers. During meetings when I’d be uncomfortable, knitting has kept me quiet. It has definitely eliminated stress–especially when I’m knitting in the evening. It has been a buffer zone when I’ve not been feeling safe.
And as long as I have been knitting, I think I am a knitter for life. It is part of me. Until Ravelry I wasn’t so much a product person…but now I have both types of projects and I’m really happy with that.
I.) I knit because it’s a way to keep a connection to the person who taught me – my grandmother (who has been gone for several years). Also, I just love color, and every time I knit something, I am mesmerized by how colors change the appearance of any project as I’m working on it.
2) Knitting is my first love, although I do take breaks to do other types of needle arts. I can’t imagine not knitting.
I knit, and spin, because I can’t stand being idle and both hobbies are portable and easy to pick up and put down. I love making things for the people I love – for Christmas my mom got mittens made from my handspun and my niece got a lace scarf that I designed myself… with the help of Barbara Walker. Hobbies come and go with me but I think knitting will stick with me a good long time.
I knit because it clears my mind of the responsibilities of the “real world”. Concentrating on a pattern shifts the company layoffs, needs for 401k hardship withdrawals, cash concerns from my real life job in HR. Also, the results are pleasing to me, and the compliments are nice as well.
I go through cycles. Have been knitting since I was 7 in Blue Birds. I have also folk art painted and quilted, but knitting is more portable and relaxing to me. It must be a Zen thing. As long as there’s a Ravelry and Vogue Knitting, I’ll be inclined to knit even if it’s just a dish rag out of cotton yarn as well as whatever else become popular in the craft world.
I took up knitting after my son was born and do it now to keep my mind active. It’s a nice reprieve from school, work, house and kid duty. Intricate lace or simple garter, knitting gets my mind moving. And I sure hope I’m a knitter for life. If not I’m in serious trouble with all the yarn that’s been stashed here. (Not including the tub of acrylic red heart and caron that I just gave away.)
I knit for many reasons. First I love the excitement of taking yarn and making something beautiful out of it. The colors and textures excite me! Knitting and the rhythm of the needles relax me and allow me to think about many things including who I am making the scarf, shawl, socks, sweater, blanket for. Knitting is relaxing and frees me from the pressures of the day and oh so calming when my mind is racing. Knitting makes me think of my mother who was a marvelous knitter but she jealously guarded her secrets and never would teach me how to knit so I am self-taught until I found the world’s best knitting instructor three years ago.
I will be a knitter for the rest of my life!
I knit for the process and the joy of creation. I started with needlepoint and crewel, then progressed (regressed?) to cross-stitch (and still have a partially finished project from before my 18-year old son was born to prove it!) I’ve done the crochet thing and I still play in that backyard occasionally. I’ve made jewelry which is totally out of the needle-art box, but it was a crazy period in my life, so what can I say?
I come from a short line of crafters (Grandma and Mom) and this is my way of carrying on tradition, I guess. My mom used to sew my clothes and knit sweaters to match and I had no clue at the time what a gift that was.
Am I a knitter for life? You bet! I have made great friends in the five years that I’ve been knitting and I wouldn’t give THEM up for anything! We laugh till we cry and they’re all pretty amazing people – multi-faceted and smart, too. Maybe it’s the herd instinct, but I’d rather hang out with knitters than just about anyone. The world would be a better place if we could just teach everyone to knit. But then we’d have to fight over stash…
I enjoy knitting, both the process, which I find helps me focus better and the end product, socks usually,lol, with an occasional hat, mitt and Sweater. I am a knitter for life! I may slow down a bit now and then or not pick up for a week or two, but I always come back to it and there is always a WIP somewhere.
I knit because it makes me happy. It enables me to create beautiful things that fit just the person they were made for; it is a link to my Slavic ancestors and a connection to countless women now and in the past who also created garments out of nothing more than some yarn and a pair of needles.
I knit because there is nothing better than amazing yarn and because there is no better way of showing someone that you care for him than a knitted gift.
But mostly, I knit because I am hopelessly addicted. And that is why I will be a knitter for life, or at least until my stash eats me :).
I knt because it’s one of the two hobbies I have that I almost always find relaxing (unless things are going horribly, horribly wrong, which thankfully doesn’t really happen that often to me). The other one is cooking, which is not so much portable and I can’t do it while sitting onthe couch watching TV. I actually hadn’t knit for years and picked it up again because I get fidgety when I sit too long and it drives my husband nuts when I do stuff that involves moving around the room while we’re watching TV (which we probably watch too much of, but as long as I’m getting knitting done I can justify it 🙂 ).
I think I’m a knitter for life: no matter what other hobbies I try–and I’ve tried more tahn my fair share–it’s the one I always come back to, and the one I turn to when I need a break from one of thoe Other Hobbies.
I started knitting because i wanted to create clothing for my daughter not just buy something. After the first trial scarf i was hooked. I am a knitter for life because i can’t think of anything else that is as rewarding (non-family wise). Knitters create not just read/follow a pattern. Every stitch is there for a reason and is part of the overall structure. as a pagan that resonates with my spiritual and world view.
I discovered knitting late in life- I’ve only been knitting for 5 years. I knit because it keeps my mind active, my fingers involved and expresses the love that goes into each item I knit for others. I will knit until they pry the needles from my cold hands .
Why do I knit? A few things I really love about knitting are the texture, the colors of the yarn and the creating. The beauty of lace and the challenge of the patterns. The comradely of people I have met and friends I have made.
i knit because my mom taught me. i grew up with mittens, made by grandma, to play in the snow, and sweaters knit by mom to keep me warm. i knit to keep my hands moving and busy, and to calm my mind. i keep knitting because there are so many wonderful yarns and patterns to try. there are techniqes to learn, designers to follow, local businesses (moms) to support , friendships with other women “like” me. and you get something unique, warm and beautiful in the end (or ufo’s).
I knit because I am. I knit because it is an expression. My senses bask in the color, feel, even the smell of fibers and yarns, each difference a subtle nuance in feeling and comfort. I cannot imagine not being a knitter, fiberphile so it seems I am a knitter for life, although if you had asked this same question 5 years ago I would have simply stared in amusement. Thank the forces of the universe that knitting and I discovered each other (I know my family does)!!
You have a ton of responses and this might not be unique BUT…
I grew up with a very crafty older sister- she was the most brilliant creator I have known. I never pursued this expression, I chose sports. Through the years she continued to make such neat things that one day I asked for her to teach me something- well cross stitch it was, she held off on her #1 hobby-knitting. The 1st project she gave me back in the late 80’s maybe early 90’s got started but was left undone. My sister was diagnosed with breast cancer and fought it- put that into remission. When her battle started again I picked up the cross stitch. I finally finished it and she helped me a week before she passed with the last stitch. Fast forward about 6 months- her daughter sent me knitted washcloths and a few other items. I also got some of my sisters needles. I so badly wanted to learn this knitting thing to be closer to her. It also gave me a tie to my Niece…
So thankfully what started as a desire to have some of my sisters skill/creativity has ended up being more for me. I love the opportunity to focus, slow down and every part of the process lets me make choices. I have found it perfect for every hard day and love that there is something to show for my time & patience. My sisters metal needles are in a container above my computer along with every knitting magazine already stashed. I understand why she had freezers of yarn! I love how it can connect me to so many amazing women and allowed me to discover new parts of myself. Knitting has been and is a life raft. I know it doesn’t bring back a loved one but in a special way I have met many new sisters thru knitting…it’s like she knew a secret and finally told me once she was gone.
I am, have always been, and will always be a knitter. It is an addiction, but as I always tell my husband, it could be worse – it could be drugs! Nothing compares to finding that “just gotta have it” yarn (happens way too often), and then searching and finding that perfect pattern to bring out all those perfect attributes of the yarn – even if it means frogging more than once until that “feeling” happens and you know you’ve found the perfect match. I’ve been through all the ups and downs in the knitting history, and I am thoroughly enjoying all the wonderful innovations that new technology brings to both the yarn and knitting techniques -but I am also constantly working on my stash just in case another “yarn recession” is in the offing!
Really, I blame Eunny Jang’s Anemoi Mittens. Before I saw that pattern, I never had the urge to knit anything more than simple garter stitch scarves. I love the challenge of knitting. It still surprises the heck out of me when I am able to create these socks and mitts and have them actually look like socks and mitts. A year and half later, I have finally cast on my Anemoi Mittens, confidant that I will actually be able to finish them–despite the size 0 needles.
I will continue knitting for the rest of my life. The sense of accomplishment after I finish a project will always uplift me. The feeling I get when my little nieces crawl into my lap and ask me if they can watch me knit will not be one I ever could give up. I never really thought of myself as a creative person before learning to knit, and now I am thinking about designing my own patterns. And my next step will be learning to spin and dye yarn. And with all of that, if I ever stopped knitting, I wouldn’t have a reason to collect all the pretty sock yarn anymore. And that would just be so uncool.
I’m going to answer the second question first — I’m absolutely a knitter for life! This leads directly into why I knit, though this answer has many layers. I knit because I love the feel of yarn and all the different textures and fibers it comes in. I am constantly caught off guard by the beautiful color combinations and colorways some artist has used in their palette as they create their yarn. I am calmed by the meditative rhythm of my hands creating stitches and challenged by the complexity of making a garment. I enjoy the sense of community I have with my friends that share my love of knitting — knitting acts as a catalyst for friendships and relationships, fostering conversation, ideas and a reasons to slow down, sit, talk, drink some coffee, eat some chocolate and make something. Knitting gives me an avenue to fulfill my need to make things — I knit because I find the entire process satisfying beyond words.
I am addicted. I love looking at and touching fiber and yarn. I love spinning fiber into yarn. I love watching the colors and pattern emerge while knitting. I love wearing my handknit socks. I love giving people handknit gifts.
I feel I am ‘stimulating the economy’ with my purchases. Receiving the items in the mail is like a birthday present arriving (without getting older!).
There is a wonderful community in knitting, online and IRL.
Knitting keeps me grounded and restores my sanity when life feels too crazy.
I knit for clothes – especially soon for socks for myself. Boston is cold.
I’m afraid if I stopped I might take up smoking again, and I will always need socks, so I don’t expect I’ll ever stop.
I knit as a stress releaser. It helps me to not concentrate on work when I get home. It’s also interesting to see the process of the finish piece. And I’m addicted to yarn and bright colors. If I see a hot pink yarn you better believe I’ll pick it up. I love knitting my niece who is almost 2 bright and colorful things. I’ll be a knitter for life for sure!
I knit because it is portable (can be taken in the car or on a plane) and a loom is not.
I also agree that there is only so much cross-stitch and embroidery a woman can stomach.
Knitter for life. Because yarn is so beautiful and diverse. Because it is fun to plan projects, shop for yarn, knit it up. Because I have the stomach to frog something when it needs it. Because I like making useful and beautiful things. Because I like learning and thinking spatially. Because other knitters are so amazing and creative. I love making a gift, investing the gift with my love and care.
I knit for a very selfish reason – I knit for me! It is one of the only things that I do that is truly just mine, even if the knitted item is intended for someone else. The time spent knitting is MY time, to concentrate, to relax, to enjoy, to play with yarn.
I did have a 4 to 5 year period, ending about 2 years ago, where I put down my needles and I didn’t think that I wanted to knit anymore. I’m not sure why that happened, but knitting needles suddenly were calling me on a trip to Maine. I came home with yarn and a strong desire to knit again. I hope that I won’t have another “dry” period like that again, but if I do, I will wait because those needles will keep calling!
I found it interesting to read that Cat Bordhi experienced a “dry” period with her knitting too – if I remember right hers lasted about 8 years. So if you’re having a dry period with knitting, it happens and it passes!!
I knit because I am impatient. I can’t stand long waiting times, slow nights at work, or any long and empty stretch of time. Knitting gives me a focus and unlike reading (which I still enjoy), I have something to show for the time I spend on a project. The very best thing about knitting is that if I totally goof something up (weeelllll, except mohair), I can frog it and get a do over. How many activities in life offer do overs?
The best reason why I knit is because I enjoy it. And even with my mistakes (there are a ton of those), I still feel like I have created something wonderful even with its imperfections. I have tried so many other arts, crafts, and hobbies in the past. I was never happy with my results. I always felt like I could do better. But knitting makes no demands. All its asks of me is the best yarn, a comfy spot on the couch, a good tv show on, and the cat to keep its paws off it! For all these reasons, I know I am a knitter for life.
My sweet Mother taught me to crochet when I was just six year old. From the time I can remember I saw my Grandmother and my mother always doing something from crochet to embroidering. I asked once why they didn’t knit and they both said that it was really hard to learn. I had tried to learn several times and never could pick it up. But then about four years ago a friend of mine said “I can teach you to knit”. After trying several times she decided that I was a left hand knitter so once I changed hands it was so easy I just picked it right up. I have knitted every day for four years now. I don’t think I could stop and I hope that as I get older and yes I’m getting older that my hands and mind stay in good shape. My mother and grandmother never got to see my knitting but I think that they would be very proud of the things that I have made.
I knit to relax, and I am in it for life. How do I know…it calls me all hours of the day and night.
I just plain love it! But that’s not all. I knit to relieve stress, and I enjoy the process of watching a project come to life. I also like to give hand-made gifts, and the people I give these to seem to enjoy the work I do. I’m sure I’ll continue to knit until my fingers or eyes give out. However, I can knit without looking at my work, so maybe . . .
I knit because I need something to do with my hands while I’m made to sit still. I can’t handle doing nothing and knitting is a great way to move without others being upset with you.
I love what I knit and for me that usually tends to be socks for myself and my family. They love their hand knit socks and I enjoy making things they like. But I’m willing to admit I love the feel of the yarn as it slides through my hands on it’s way to becoming a newly created piece of art.
I will probably continue knitting for life. It’s been over 20 years so far. It’s not my only artistic outlet, but it’s a very portable one that works well for all my travel time for work.
I knit as a reaction to all the technology I work with all day, every day in my professional life. It’s also sooo relaxing and gives hours of entertainment to my cat who plays with the yarn balls. My fave knitting are shawls and scarves because there’s no sewing involved.
I’m a For Life Knitter because I learned nearly 50 years ago at school, gave up for a while in my 30s/40s, and then came back to it about 3 years ago when I saw all the wonderful yarns which are now available. In fact, I became so inspired I now dye and spin my own yarn. It’s grrrrrrrreat but doesn’t leave a lot of time for the day job 🙂
I love to knit. I knit because it seems to be endlessly interesting. I believe I am a knitter for life, but it is hard to say… if I am my mother’s daughter, I will find something new.
I knit because I can’t stop knitting. The first time I picked up the needles, I was 3 years old and had watched my grandmother. She could pick up needles, yarn, and start knitting… no need to measure, no need to read a pattern, just pick up your needles and knit a sweater. It always fit perfectly. I watched her knit, and I wanted to do anything she did. So she gave me some red yarn and some aluminum circular needles. She told me to slip the first stitch of every row for a neater edge… except I misunderstood and thought I was supposed to slip a stitch every time I put down my knitting and picked it up again. Needless to say, my first piece of knitting looked… funky.
Then, other things got in the way of knitting, and I stopped for a while. Then, a friend of my grandmother’s agreed to watch me while my parents went on vacation. She was knitting socks for her son. I asked her to show me, and over the next week or so, I knit my first pair of socks, in green acrylic. I still have those socks. They are indestructible.
Then, there was another hiatus. I wanted to knit but was living far away from my family, in college across the Atlantic from everyone I knew. And I didn’t really know how to pick the right yarn, or how to read a pattern. But times had changed and I found a whole community of knitters on the internet. Suddenly, there were people who answered my questions, people who were knitting pretty designs I really, really wanted to knit, people who were patient enough to help me learn to read a pattern.
So, I guess the answer is that I knit because I just can’t stop, and I can’t stop because it’s such a fun activity… and, in my mind, closely connected to a whole community of knitters, starting with my own grandmother and her friend and extending all the way to strangers I have never met in person, but who always had encouraging words for a struggling newbie whose knitting didn’t yet speak pattern or English.
I first started knitting as a way to reconnect with my grandmothers. Both were very crafty, and I wanted to connect with them on that level. I was instantly enthralled with knitting. Now knitting is a creative outlet for me, and it also helps me work through the tough times. When I’m very stressed, I pick up a project that requires me to sit down and focus only on the knitting. I think I am a knitter for life. I can’t imagine anything else coming along to distract me away from the sticks & string.
Knittting is a stabilizing factor in my life. I began knitting right after we had several back to back crises in our family in one year. It was beginning to feel like we were all going to lose it, and I needed something that I could do with my hands to soothe my nerves, but wouldn’t occupy my mind too much. I also needed something that would occupy my mind when I needed to escape from our family’s situations at the moment. Reading, sewing, embroidery, and cross-stitching didn’t cut it, and one day I saw a special on PBS about knitting, both the how-to and the history. I recorded it and watched it over and over, marveling at how women throughout history have knit through wars, famine, floods, the loss of their homes, etc. I knew that knitting was for me, so I went out and bought some yarn and needles and got started. That was almost two years ago, and our family situations have passed, and things are much better now, however, it got darker before the light, and knitting gave me something that I could pick up in my hands and work on when I needed a distraction, or just something to do while I sat and thought, or cried, or prayed. It was also something that I could do just for me, when everyone seemed to need my time and attention at once, and I just needed a moment for myself.
Yes, I will be a knitter for life. It has helped me in so many ways so far, that I know I will never let it go, and now knitting is not just for stress relief, it’s for the joy of creating something that my family will love and use for years to come. I have also taught my daughter, my mother, and a few friends to knit along the way, so even though I may set it aside for a month or two to sew or quilt, I’ll always have that itch to pick it back up again soon.
Knitting is a big part of my life and has been for many years. I learned as a child and it came and went during my teens and 20’s but for the last 20 + years it has been a constant in my life. I am in knitting groups, I enjoy knitting on line such as Ravelry and I have several good friends who are knitters that I commune and connect with.
I have stash beyond life expectancy like most avid knitters so I enjoy plundering stash just as much as pondering new purchases. I love visiting yarn shops when I travel and I keep a mental list of my “top 5 shops” .
I knit because I love the rhythmic motion and feeling and seeing the yarn take shape. Like Sheri – I love the fact that you can challenge yourself or just do mindless to relax and unwind – I have to admit these days I am more mindless than challenged! THanks Melody
I don’t really know WHY I knit – sometimes I don’t think I ever had a choice! I was really close to my grandmother who was a quilter. So when she passed away I tried to take up quilting as a way to reconnect to her. But I just couldn’t do it! I’ve never been good with cutting straight lines and the geometry required in piecing material together was just too daunting. It wasn’t long after I gave up on quilting that I was on my way home from work (it was especially cold outside!) something in me decided to try knitting. I still remember stopping by Wal-Mart to buy some needles (I picked a pair in a pretty color – I had no idea about gauge!) and some awful acrylic yarn. When I finished that first project I HAD to have more! I was so amazed at my own ability to make something with some string and two sticks!
I’ve only been knitting for two years but I know I’ll always be a knitter. I’ll always love the calming repitition of a stitch, the challenge of a new pattern, the rows and rows of yarn at the LYS, the feeling you get when you show off a completed project and people ooo and ahhh at your handiwork. In fact, I can’t believe I’ve made it this far through life without it!
I started knitting because I needed to believe I could (despite being fairly uncoordinated). It stuck, at least at first, because I was going through a difficult divorce and I needed something that I could gain a sense of accomplishment from and feel positive about doing. My reasons, however, have changed to keep pace with me and, these days, it’s more about the artistry of it. I will be a lifelong knitter because it’s simply irresistible. The colors, the feel of the different yarns-it’s not only an aesthetic but a kinesthetic experience. I rarely keep what I’ve made as it’s more about the process, the experience of seeing something formless take shape and being able to look at something I created both during and after the knitting process. I could go on for days about all that I have gained from knitting.
I knit because it is productive and it relaxes me. I tried yoga and I just could never get my mind to relax. With knitting I can take a deep breath and get totally absorbed in the stitches and relax. In the beginning I saw myself as a periodical knitter, only knitting when I was stressed. Now I knit almost everyday. I see myself being a knitter for life even if their are times that I don’t knit for a while, there will always be a yarn or a pattern that draws me back. I am a knitter for life. Breanna age 28 knitter for 4 years spinner for 1.
1) I knit because I’m in grad school finishing up my dissertation, and there are many days where I feel that I’ve gotten nothing accomplished. Knitting gives me a physical accomplishment that I can see, which helps to keep me sane. I knit because I love the feeling of yarn running through my fingers. I knit because I am always amazed how one long strand of yarn can become a hat or a sweater or a shawl.
2) I do hope that I will be a life-long knitter. I definitely am developing a stash that will take me a lifetime to knit! Because of the variety of items that can be made, I think that I’ll always find something else to excite me, something else that I want to try out. So I definitely plan to keep up with knitting for the rest of my life.
I knit because I can!! I love the feel of the yarn running through my fingers. It makes me calm and de-stresses my week. I love the fact that I can actually make something to keep my family warm and comforted.
I always wanted to learn to knit I had no idea why I felt like it was something that I knew how to do but really didnt so when I started I was told my my great grandmother was a crocheter (which i can not do) I love to knit to see the lace Ive made or sock which I am just learning to do to me knitting just feels right like apart of me
Will I always knit Ive been doing a few years (Im still new at it 🙂 my mother is surprised I lasted this long and have invested so much in it I never thought knitting was like it is or that thier are great people out there who you can talk to about knitting I thought I would be there only one my age to do this but Im not and to answer your question yes i will always knit (i know i ramble alot sorry 🙂
Thanks B
I had to think about why I knit. It has become so much a part of me and who I am that nobody would recognize me with out yarn and needles in my hands. The wonderful comforting feel of fibers, the relaxing repeat of needles going in and out to make stitches, sitting with my little dog and the cats teasing the yarn; what could be better for a fiberaholic. Then there is the reward of presenting family, friends, rescues, charities, and church with all sorts of hand made knits. This is why I knit.
Considering the fact that I will be 67 in April and I started knitting when I was 5 I guess I am a life long commited knitter.
I knit because it feeds my soul.
I am in my seventies and have been knitting since I was in fourth grade. My math teacher had a little knitting club after school and I was hooked FOR LIFE! Knitting is a great stress reliever for me. I love to see the stitches come together to make a new pattern. I love color, so the thousands of shades of colors bring patterns alive right before my eyes. I knit for my 4 children and 12 grandchildren, and once in a while for me. I love to try new yarns, (and there are so many right now!) so I purchase several different kinds and make scarves and hats of various patterns. If I am pleased with the outcome, I take them to a homeless shelter here in town. Sometimes I ask my family to take one if they see one they would like to wear, but most go to the shelter. With nine grand daughters I am able to try many different patterns and beautiful colors for them and they love the things I make. I usually have three or four different projects going at the same time. I just finished making 12 baby afghans (for my grandchildren when they are parents!). Now I am beginning a large afghan for each of them for their rooms at home or to take to college when they go. Some of my friends give me left over yarns and I love to see what I can do with them. I have made many lap blankets for one of the nursing homes here in town. It is fun to be creative with all the colors and weights of yarn! Some of the joy of knitting comes from showing others how to knit (or crochet). I am helping/working with several ladies from my church right now and it is rewarding to see the smiles on their faces when they have learned something new or figured something our on their own. I LOVE TO KNIT and I pray I have many years yet to knit!!!
I knit because it makes me a more patient person. My husband says I’m calmer and happier when I take the time to knit a little each day or so. I knit because it makes my lunch hour pass more pleasantly, and I knit because it helps me tune out the noise and chatter in the cafeteria that can sometimes be unpleasant. I knit because I like a challenge sometimes, and I knit because it’s nice to do something mindless sometimes. I knit because I’ve discovered the joy of that rewarding smile you get from a new mom, when you give her a delicate baby set for her little one. I knit because I know that my baby will be warm in the sweater I made for him. I knit because it’s something I can share with my Mom, even though she’s been knitting for 40 years and I’ve only been knitting for 4. I knit because I love color. And, I knit because it’s fun 😉
(And, yes, I’m now a lifelong knitter. It’s the only craft that has stuck with me consistently for more than three months; everything else I just dabble in periodically, maybe once every year or so.)
I knit because it gives me something to do, because it can be as soothing or as intense and I want it to be, because I love creating things with my own two hands. I will most certainly be a knitter for life. Knitting is always on my mind.
I started knitting in my second year of law school, originally to keep myself “doing something with my hands” so I wouldn’t stress-eat. I kept at it because law school is something you have to work really hard to be good at; and I picked up knitting so easily that it made me feel really great about myself. I was cabling on my first project, and now, shortly after buying my first pair of needles, I’m hooked: I’m dyeing, spinning, and upcycling found yarns, and I’m in the process of opening an Etsy shop.
I am SO in this for life. I went to see my psychiatrist the other day and he mentioned that people who work “with their brains” need a hobby where they have a tangible finished product at the end. Like knitting.