“If I’m sitting, I’m knitting.” That pretty accurately describes me. I learned how to knit as a child from my mom and grandmother. I knit a couple of headbands and then dropped the knitting needles and didn’t pick them up again for decades.
Fast forward to a new job, where I spent many lunch hours with a lovely co-worker about my mom’s age who was a knitter. She encouraged me to pick up the hobby again and introduced me to the rabbit hole of trendy craft yarns (eyelash yarn, glow-in-the-dark yarn, etc.). I made new friends at a local yarn shop in a new community where I learned the joys of luxury yarns and hand-dyed yarns, and I was lost.
Knitting helped me survive the isolation of Covid (okay, knitting and binge TV-watching …), and now it’s a regular part of my life. I’m not yet the stereotypical knitting granny in a rocking chair, but I aspire to it. That stereotype doesn’t accurately reflect the kinds of people who are taking up fiber crafts these days, though. The Craft Yarn Council estimates that a third of women between the ages of 25 and 35 now knit or crochet.
Granny squares (usually crocheted) are trendy again and are in fashion now. A young co-worker recently finished a granny-square coatigan (a mix between coat and cardigan), and I’ve seen similar ones lately on fashion magazine sites. And it’s not just women who do fiber arts. A thirty-something young man in one of my fiber-friend groups who runs marathons, rides motorcycles, and wears kilts introduced me to the art of nalbinding, an ancient Norwegian precursor to knitting.
Benefits of Knitting
Health Benefits
Fiber arts offer the intrepid crafter a multitude of potential health benefits. The Thoughtful Artisan posted this on Instagram, "The rhythm of knitting and crochet helps with serotonin release. Serotonin is the chemical transmitter that helps regulate anxiety, happiness and mood.” (7/18/24) Those claims are supported by science. Dr. Herbert Benson, author of “The Relaxation Response,” says that repetitive actions of fiber arts can induce a state of relaxation akin to meditation or yoga and can help lower blood pressure and heart rate and reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
Psychologist Sahra O’Doherty is cited in an article published in The Guardian, saying that the rhythm of stitching can lead to a “flow state,” a sensation where a person is so engaged in an activity that “time disappears.” She touts the mental wellbeing boost and stress release of crafting and says that there’s evidence that they help maintain dexterity and cognitive health. Therapeutic knitting helps reduce depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain, addiction, and eating disorders too (www.mindwell.healthy.ucla.edu).
Social Benefits
While knitting or crocheting can be a solitary pursuit, there’s also evidence that gathering socially with groups of like-minded people supports longevity and health. One of my favorite social groups was a weekly gathering at another local yarn shop that featured a wide variety of people: retired librarians, a pediatric oncologist, academics, young moms, college students, teachers, bankers, code writers, and a variety of professionals. Before its demise, precipitated by the closure of the shop and then Covid, that group was the source of snorting, laugh-till-your-face-hurts discussions, as well as some serious learning opportunities that lasted long into the nights. I formed lifelong friendships there that I still treasure.
Knitting is a great conversation starter, too. Frequently, when someone walks by and sees me knitting, they’ll say something like, “Oh … what are you crocheting? My aunt (grandmother, mother … insert choice here) used to do that.” I respond with something like “Oh, knitting uses two sticks (holding up a needle in each hand) and crochet only uses one.” “Wow … looks complicated. I’d do that if I had the time …,” they often say. “It’s easy. Anyone can learn. You just learn two techniques, and all the other stitches are a variation on those two. There are great tutorials on YouTube – or I can teach you,” I reply. “I just don’t have time for that,” they inevitably say as they walk away. Yeah, I think, but you have time to sit and watch TV. When the show’s over, you’ve got nothing, but I’m on the way to having a new sweater or bag or wrap! Yes, I admit it, we knitters can be a little smug.
Community Benefits
Fiber art creators often give back to their communities. The knitting group I mentioned before used up scraps to knit caps for babies born at the local children’s hospital. Friends frequently donate exquisite, knitted items for auctions to the charities they support. I’ve made chemo caps and chemo wraps for friends who were fighting cancer. I made a pussycat hat for a friend who was part of a political march in Washington, D.C., and a square for an afghan presented by a group of knitters to a favorite author.
I also taught a knitting project several years in 4-H. One year our group was comprised of eight girls and three boys (I know my son has a post-apocalyptic life skill, whether he ever uses it again or not!). Another year, my two advanced knitters in the project entered their items at the county fair, and all their projects were selected to be displayed at the state fair.
A variety of charitable organizations collect knitted and crocheted items. Project Linus and Warm Up America collect and distribute blankets to hospitals, shelters, and aid organizations. The Mother Bear organization collects and distributes teddy bears to children in need. Knitted Knockers distributes knitted prostheses to people with breast cancer. There’s a startup group in my community, the Como Craftcycle Collective, that collects fabric, yarns, and tools, and then gives them away at community events where they also demonstrate and offer to teach fiber art skills.
Wardrobe Benefits
Needless to say, learning a fiber art enables one to expand one’s wardrobe with new sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves, wraps, and bags. The sky is the limit!
Photo 1: Hat and a purse made from leftover yarn as a gift for a young niece. / Photo 2: A finished project: a wedding shawl for my niece.
How-tos of Knitting
Once you’ve conquered the initial learning curve, knitting is surprisingly easy. There really are just two stitches, knitting and purling, but there are infinite variations on them that produce beautiful fabrics. Equipment costs can be quite low. All you need to get started knitting are two sticks and some string. For crochet, you need only one stick!
You can pick up basic supplies at some big box stores in the US and even at grocery stores in other parts of the world. Start with a set of needles (I recommend US size 8) and a skein of yarn. If you don’t have a knitter handy to show you how, go to YouTube and search how-to-knit tutorials. (And yes, I’d be happy to show you – just name a time and place to meet!)
The Language of Knitting
As with many activities, fiber arts have a language of their own. Non-crafters may be mystified when they hear knitters rambling on in a dialect of their own. We don’t like to leave you out, so here are just a few of the knitting terms you may hear from the yarn-y set:
Photo 1: Blocking, or stretching into shape, turns finished projects frome wrinkled, jumbled piles of yarn into garments. / Photo 2: Squishy mail -- more fun to find in the mailbox than bills! / Photo 3: Two projects in progress -- same pattern but with different yarns.
Frogging: frogging refers to salvaging the yarn one has used to create an unsatisfying or unloved project. Why frogging? Rip it, rip it, rip it!
UFO: unfinished object. Refers to a project that’s not yet finished.
WIP: a work in progress. See also UFO.
Tinking: that’s another way to say knitting backward or taking out a stitch at a time to get back to a mistake that needs fixing.
Frog pond: a collection of unsatisfying projects destined to be undone so yarn can be re-used.
Squishy mail: yarn delivered by mail, often accompanied by squeals of joy from a knitter or crocheter.
Project knitter: a knitter who knits because they want the finished project.
Process knitter: a knitter who knits for the joy of learning new techniques or creating something they’ve never done before. I am a process knitter!
Monogamous knitter: someone who knits one project at a time, until it’s finished, and only then starts a new one. I am a polyamorous knitter. I bet you can figure out what that means!
Yes, I have a variety of projects in progress at any time. After all, I need a mindless knitting project that’s easy enough to knit as I socialize or watch TV. I need a purse project that’s small enough to tuck away in my bag and produce it if I have an unexpected wait (doctor or dentist office or traffic jam – only if traffic is stopped for an extended period!). I also need road knitting, to be done only when I’m a passenger, of course. And I need that challenging project to help me learn new skills! In knitting only, monogamy is not for me.
Fibers Available
There are a multitude of fibers available for a multitude of projects. Once a knitter or crocheter masters the techniques of their craft, they usually progress to learning about the raw materials available.
Yarns come in a variety of weights. There’s worsted weight, which is a medium weight yarn, that is usually the best weight for a beginner. Sock or fingering weight is a thinner weight, suitable for, you guessed it, socks or thinner projects. Lace weight is even thinner and is usually used for fine, more difficult projects. I had knitted for a couple of years before I dared try to use lace weight yarn. The thinnest is cobweb. It still frightens me a little, and I’ve yet to tackle it. Cobweb weight may remind those who sew of thread. There’s also bulky weight, which is frequently used when warmth is the goal, as in hats, scarves, or mittens.
Those weights of yarn are produced in different ways, beginning with the weight of the fiber that is spun. All yarn begins as raw fiber which, after being washed and combed so all the fibers point in the same direction, is spun in a variety of ways. It can be spun by hand, using a drop spindle, on a spinning wheel, or on large commercial machines.
Photo 1: Yarn being spun on my drop spindle. / Photo 2: Yarn that I've spun after taking a class this summer.
Not all yarn comes from sheep. Some comes from yak, goats, alpacas, llamas, or rabbits. Qiviut, a luxury yarn, is made from the extremely soft under-down of the musk ox. Silk is created by silkworms. Extreme crafters have been known to knit with their dog’s or cat’s shed fur or even with thin wire. Other natural fibers like cotton, linen, some types of seaweed, or bamboo can be spun into yarn. Then there are man-made yarns like Tencel and rayon.
Each different type of yarn has a different texture, drape, and feel. One of the joys of knitting is discovering what types you enjoy using.
Resources for Knitters
Today’s greatest resources live on the internet and in your local library. If you know a knitter or crocheter, they will likely be glad to share their knowledge with you, too! (Ahem!) Knitting Without Tears by Elizabeth Zimmerman is a great basic book. Other favorites of mine include Knitting Rules by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee and Vogue Knitting by the editor of Vogue Knitting.
YouTube is a great resource for how-to videos. You can find videos to teach you the basic skills or to entertain you. I often search for videos on new techniques. Check out Knitty Natty to see her adventures traveling the US, living in a van and visiting yarn shops. The co-worker with the coatigan I referenced earlier can be found at yourstrulybyrose.
Ravelry.com is a terrific resource for fiber crafters. It features forums and databases where you can enter information about your projects and yarn collections, view others’ projects, and find patterns.
A sense of humor is a necessary trait for the crafter (anyone who has ever stared at a knotted tangle of yarn or discovered a mistake 12 rows back will agree). There are some pretty funny folks sharing their crafting adventures. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, known as the Yarn Harlot, is one of my favorites. You can find her on Instagram (@yarnharlot) or on her own website. Her basic knitting book is referenced above.
I also like Things I Learned From Knitting (Whether I Wanted to or Not) and Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much. Another favorite book that you may or may not find in my bathroom is Knitting Ephemera: A Compendium of Articles, Useful and Otherwise by Carol J. Sulcoski. From her, I learned that knitting burns about 102 calories per hour and there are more sheep than people in New Zealand, Australia, and Iceland.
This yarn has gone on long enough. I’ll leave you with two last tips from your intrepid knitter:
Yarn makes great souvenirs! Along with the scenery, my travels always include stops at yarn shops. A couple of favorites are Ginger Twist Studio in Edinburgh and The Quilted Pearl in Georgetown, Colorado. It’s really easy to squish a skein of yarn or two into a crowded suitcase.
Last, but definitely not least, yarn is a great gift. The more luxurious, the better.
Now, my knitting needles are calling my name. Happy crafting!
Karen Gordy-Panhorst is an avid explorer of many things in life: photography, writing, fiber arts, travel, and reading. She lives with her husband (who she met in college at about the same time as she met her friends found on Friendsville Square) in Columbia, Missouri.
Thanks for reading this post! We encourage you to comment – and if you do – would you consider signing off on your comment with your first name and last initial? We love to know who’s commenting, but we don’t want to require a sign-in to add your thoughts.
If you want to receive an email reminder about each new post, just visit this page to sign up (it’s easy, you can unsubscribe anytime, and we send only one email a week).
~ Heather M. and Jodi B.
Karen nails it! As a fellow yarny, I have to say she gives great advice to any wannabe knitter, and in case you didn't catch it, we all believe yarn makes an incredible gift! My travels have included shops (and purchases from) such as the Yarn Cake in Glasgow and Sin City in Vegas... here's to squishy mail!
Vikki P...