I often run into knitters who are unbelievably frustrated with their knitting and it has made me wonder why they do knit. Knitting used to be a way to keep your family or yourself warm, hand knits were the only way to get nice sweater at a reasonable price, but those times are long gone and it is craft, hobby or art depending on your view point. It definitely is not necessary to clothe anyone any longer, but in a small way it is still necessary. I think that knitting is a way to slow down, to connect with others with similar interests, a way to unnecessarily clothe myself and my family (sometimes with mixed results), and to keep on learning new things.

There have been studies that say that knitters are less prone to the forgetfulness of aging because the brain pathways that are created while learning to do something new in knitting help in all kinds of thinking. I find the challenge of learning how to make socks, create lace, make a sweater for someone that actually fits them and becomes a part of their wardrobe is fascinating. I am a process knitter mostly, that is a person who has more projects started at any given point in time than is probably necessary. I am interested in technique, and how you hold your needles. It is fascinating to me how people interpret patterns differently and how people strand the yarn through their fingers to keep the tension of the yarn consistent. I do not think one way of knitting is better or worse than another, but I do know some things are harder for me than other things.

When my friend taught me to knit nearly eighteen years ago, that friend gave me a gift that has never stopped giving. It led me to many, many other friendships, it has made me try things in other areas of my life, because if I can make lace, heck I can do anything.

So, I guess I knit because I like to knit, not to save money (have I mentioned my stash). I knit because of the gifts it allows me to make that marry form and function and let me give unique gifts that cannot be found anywhere else. Knitting has brought me into a community of like minded people, who could not be funnier, more helpful, more thoughtful or more diverse. Knitting has made me a better person through the craft and through the people I have met.

Again, why do you knit?