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Knitting: Stitching Together Crafters Around the WorldAn age-old craft, knitting has enjoyed a definite resurgence in popularity in the past decade or so. The relative ease of learning how to knit, as well as the craft’s go-anywhere travel size, have made this craft an ideal hobby – one for all ages and for women and men both.
A Stitch in Time:It’s difficult to determine how far back in history this art goes. When did it originate? One of the earliest known examples comes from Egypt, dating back more than 1,000 years. However, as a profession it seems to have truly taken off in Europe during the Renaissance. In fact, the first hand-knitters’ guild was founded in Paris, France, circa 1527.While professional knitting still exists today, for the most part, it has become mainly a hobby. No longer is it necessary to stitch one’s socks, sweaters, or hats – unless of course you want to. Indeed, today,it is learned out of interest and perfected out of practice during one’s spare time.
The First Loop:To start, keep in mind that like most crafts, there’s a progressive skill level to be learned. That is, you won’t begin today and create a sweater tomorrow. However, if a sweater is your goal, it’s very possible that one day you will. For others still, it is more a meditative activity. It’s the process that provides the reward.This being said, whichever camp you fall into, you’ll need a few tools to begin. As noted, it is a go-anywhere hobby. Since you really only need yarn and needles, projects can be taken wherever, so that whenever you feel like knitting, you can. Simply resume where you left off. Unlike jewelry-making, woodworking, or model-building, this craft doesn’t have a lot of tools or pieces to keep track of. It’s basically yarn, needles, and a few ancillary tools, like crochet hooks, hanging markers, and point protectors. As for the needles themselves, there are three basic types: 1) straight, 2) double-pointed (DPNs), and 3) circular. Depending on your project and skill level, one of these should prove best. The most common (beginner) needles are the straight variety (with the knob-end helping to prevent stitches from slipping off). Knitting is both basic and complex. Though the principles are relatively easy, the terminology, patterns, and variety of stitches make it quite the complicated craft to master. Nonetheless, the growing number of hand-knitters across the world tells us that many are rising to that challenge.
Knitted Together:What’s more, with its interlocking loops, this craft has become a symbolic community activity. And with the advent of the Internet, that community has grown to be boundless. Visit craft blogs or forums today and you’ll find hand-knitters from all over the world chiming in with stories, advice, and tips.And yet one poignant reason why it has taken off in our modern world is no doubt the sense of individuality that stems from it. There’s something to be said about the very hands-on component which seems almost antiquated for us today, when so much of our world having gone digital or virtual. By contrast, knitting (like all crafts) is tactile, created from scratch, and quite simply: the real deal. Check out the articles below Knitting Looms Knitting looms are so much fun and very easy to use.
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