Knitting as a hobby is extremely productive and relaxing. The work of just an hour or so can result in something as satisfying as a beautiful face cloth of exactly the size, shape, exfoliating properties, and absorbance desired. It requires only a very small initial investment, and basic materials are extremely inexpensive. The products can be as utilitarian or decorative as desired, or both. Materials are reusable- an unsatisfactory scarf may be unwound and reused in a set of mittens, or a sweater, or whatever human ingenuity can design. It also has the distinct advantage of portability; a sock can go anywhere it can be stuffed in a pocket, unlike quilting.
Knitting as a hobby can also be luxurious- hand knitting yarns are now manufactured from such fibers as cashmere, vicuna, and guanaco, as well as silver and pearls. Knitting needles also come in all ranges, from inexpensive wooden needles costing $10 for an entire set of most sizes to gold-plated sterling silver needles.
While observers might conclude knitting is repetitive from the motions, there are a wide range of different patterns resulting in such different textures as cables, lace, color work, etc. Not only that, but there are written patterns for anything one’s ingenuity might devise, from knitted mobius strips to apple cozies and everything in between. It is also much more compact than woodworking, and nearly everyone is pleased with some kind of knitted gift, whether it be a fine lace book cover, lace curtains, a heavy cabled sweater knit precisely to size, unique socks of just the color desired, a felted handbag, or a tea cozy. It is much more versatile hobby than painting, which results primarily in 2-dimensional media and is not portable, or scrapbooking, which results primarily in photo albums and is similarly not portable.
Yarns are available in all sorts of different fibers and with all sorts of properties to accommodate the discriminating and the allergic, with everything from wool, acrylic, cotton, linen, hemp, and jadeite being available as a hand knitting yarn. If a sweater in the store catches a relative’s eye, but they’re allergic to wool, it can be a matter of a few days of knitting for a few hours in the evening to relax after a long day to present them with a copy, in the same color and pattern, in cotton or acrylic.
It’s easy to scale up or down, and there’s a very strong community of knitters online and a strong tradition of knitting guilds eager to help new knitters build their skills. Yarns of all sorts are now easily available online suitable for the most discriminating knitter at prices accessible to even the tightest of budgets. Now, more than ever, is the time right to pick up knitting as a hobby.
Dan Blinman is writing for Cocoon Knit; who are Yarn Suppliers and sell Knitting Wool