Thursday, April 10, 2008

Thursday Thirteen: Knitting

One of my new year's resolutions was to take up knitting again, and it is one I have kept with enthusiasm. Here are thirteen good reasons for knitting.

Knitting is:

  1. Soothing and relaxing - that gentle click, click of the needles and rhythmic movement
  2. Simple - you only need to learn two basic stitches, knit and purl
  3. Easy to pick up if you have a few spare minutes - no setting up and organising required
  4. Economical - it is possible to buy yarn very cheaply, the internet has a huge number of free patterns, and you save money by knitting things you would otherwise buy
  5. Portable - you can tuck your knitting in a bag and take it anywhere
  6. Satisfying - you get to wear, use, or watch your family and friends wear your finished articles
  7. Environmentally friendly - wooden or bamboo needles, natural fibres like wool, cotton, silk and bamboo ... an ecologically sound hobby. You can even recycle old clothes by unravelling them and reknitting the same yarn.
  8. Sociable - knit with friends, chat to other knitters.
  9. The perfect hobby for bookworms - with a little practice you can learn to read and knit simultaneously.
  10. Toddler friendly - how many other crafts can you do with a toddler around?
  11. Flexible - there are so many different things it is possible to knit, and an endless variety of patterns and yarns.
  12. Addictive - once you start, you can't stop!
  13. Fun!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have to disagree with #4 as I am working on a, ahem, (don't tell my husband) $40 pair of socks. But with all the others I wholeheartedly agree and I'm so enjoying your knitting blog.

Anonymous said...

I think the joy of knitting is that it can range from cheap acrylic stuff to really awesome fancy expensive yarn where you know the name of the goat who grew the fur that got turned into the yarn that you are knitting with. :) My girlfriend just taught herself to knit and it is hilarious to remember how it looks at the "shoving needles slowly through the yarn and moving the yarn around at glacial speeds" stage. #14: knitting is comical ;)

The Bookworm said...

Ah, but Jennifer, think what a pleasure those socks will be to wear :). Agreed, it certainly isn't always an inexpensive hobby!

And yes Danica, that huge range of possibilities is part of the fun. I hadn't thought pf comical ;)

Sweetness and Light said...

Love your thirteen!! Keep knitting, it's totally been my sanity saver this year too :))))

Alice Gunther said...

I keep hoping to learn!

Katherine said...

Like many things, I want to learn how to knit - especially if I can do it with a toddler running around. Any recommendations on how to go about learning?