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Heylo, BirdGirl here. I've written two other articles that got published and a bunch that didn't, and now I decided to write about something in my life. People that do this have many untrue stereotypes about them. If my friends could describe me in a few words (and I did ask them) they would say that I was funny, smart, and extremely hyper. I'm the last person you would expect to... *drum roll, please*... knit!
Yes, I do. Most people are really surprised when they find out. "You knit? I mean, there???s nothing wrong with that -- my Granny knits -- but YOU?" I???m not going to give you a lecture on how to knit and the history of Saxon cables, but I would like to clear up a few common misconceptions on knitting (most of these apply to crocheting, too).
First (I'm trying to say this calmly), knitting isn't for grandmothers! You're saying, okay, my grandmothers knit, but none of my friends do. That might be because your grandparents grew up in the Depression and needed to create their own clothing. Yarn for knitting a sweater might cost about $10, but a sweater can go for about $20-$300 today, and three times that if it's hand knit. Also, they may have learned from their parents or grandparents who grew up before the knitting machine (which makes almost all sweaters today) was invented. (This also applies to crocheting, weaving, and making your own yarn by spinning it.)
Knitting is boring. --Not! Ok, I get bored when I follow some patterns, but designing stitches is anything but boring. Anyone who knows me well can tell you that I get bored easily.
Knitting is a wonderful thing for the senile. You don't need to think. --Not! One of my teachers said, "Actually, the private school my daughter went to taught the kids to knit in first grade and used it for teaching math from then on." You need to really use your brain when you knit. You need to find out how many stitches you knit per inch, find out how many inches you need, multiply that by the number of inches you need, check your gauge, etcetera, etcetera. You also need to worry about shrinking in the wash much more than with garments that aren't hand knit.
Knitting is old fashioned. --Not! I admit, I thought this for the first months I knit. Than, after reading in the newspaper and knitting magazines, I found out that knitting is coming back fast. Also, new developments arise every day. Yarn companies are making stretchy and soft yarns. Acrylics are pretty new, especially compared to how long knitting has been around. And did you know that there is actually a Vogue Knitting magazine?
I recently started a knitting club in school. Okay, it has five people, but still, it exists. We're only a few weeks old. It is like a knitters guild for people who want to learn to knit or want to teach other people to knit. If you knit or crochet, I suggest starting your own school club. Once you have a lot of people, go to a teacher or administrator and try to make it into an official school club. My friends who I taught to knit said it was a lot more interesting and easier than they thought it would be. (But that might just be their teacher... *sigh*... there is perfection in this universe!) A friend of mine who didn't want to learn to knit and thought it was just stupid now loves it, so if someone offers to teach you to knit, give it a try.
By the way, crocheting has similar stereotypes and is very similar but I wrote the article about knitting because I like it more.
Suggested reading:
Kids Knitting, by Melanie Falick. 1998, Workman Publishing Company.
Any knitting magazine: Interweave Knits and Knitters Universe are good. Interweave Knits is edited by Melanie Falick, who wrote Kids Knitting, and Knitters Universe has a tips on how to do special tricks and techniques.
There are many learn-to-knit websites. They also usually have simple patterns. Some say they are charities and tell you do send hats to them and they will send them to something like Caps for Kids. Beware of this, they are not always real charities and just want the stuff for themselves. It is better to donate to a school clothing drive or directly give it to someone who needs clothing.
If you know how to knit or crochet or want to learn how, y-mail me. If a lot of people tell me they want to learn, I'll write an article for that.
Hope I opened your eyes a little!
-BirdGirl
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