The Power of Our Knitting Stories

I am always fascinated by the stories knitters I meet in person or online have to tell about why they knit, how they came to knit, and the people for whom they knit.

Sitting at a knitting circle, I hear that a shawl-in-progress is for someone's Mom (in a color that makes it nearly impossible for the knitter to see the stitches, but that's what Mom wanted), a baby blanket for a family member's newborn, or simply the desire to finished an unfinished object that's been taking up space (to make room for new cast-on projects).

How did I come to the craft of knitting?

I was seeking a way to release stress, and have always generally been on the crafty side. I grew up visiting my Grandma who was a master crocheter so there's a nostalgia that I connect with when I knit as well. As I've knit more and tried some different projects, I have also found great satisfaction in the challenge of knitting - of taking on knitting my first hat on DPNs or completing my first pair of hand knit socks. The reasons evolve - but my love of the act of knitting stays constant and passionate.

Who taught me how to knit?

I taught myself for the most part. Using a variety of books and videos online, I was able to figure out most of the basic stitches, reading patterns, cabling, and the like. When I decided I wanted to knit socks, I sought professional help (and some would argue I sought the wrong kind of professional help and that a psychologist was more in order) and found a wonderful teacher, Julie, who taught me the art of sock knitting. I've taken other classes with another great teacher, Barbara, and from other knitters I have learned tips along the way, too. But, for the most part, I would consider myself self-taught.

For whom do I knit?

I knit for my partner. I knit for my family (holiday gifts are already in progress). I knit for friends. I knit for myself. I'm excited about the holiday season coming up and being able to use that as an opportunity to share a number of my knitted items with those who are special to me.

So, each of us has knitting stories - and when we join in community with each other, we share those stories, we find strength when we might be down a bit, we find hope that what we're working on really can be completed because someone else did it, too - and, we realize that just as knitting is a technical art, it is an emotional, sentimental art.

There's truly a special connection knitters have to their craft.