Reasons to Knit
Wondering why you keep knitting? Check out these reasons to knit
I've had some of my friends ask me why I knit. After all, they point out, yarn is expensive, and almost everything I knit I could buy more inexpensively (and, let's be honest, probably better made -- at least without any silly errors).
Okay, so that's true. And yet I keep pulling out the needles, looking for new patterns, and trying out new knit stitches. Why? What is it about knitting that's just so darn compelling?
1. The act of creation
Let's face it: we're creative people. And knitting, whether people like to acknowledge it or not, is an art form (just check out some of the bizarre and fascinating art projects people have made with yarn and needles). There's nothing quite so satisfying as binding off a finished project and looking at it with approval. No shopping spree in the world comes close (well, at least none that I can afford!).
2. Everything turns out the way you want it
We've all been in that situation. You're looking for just the right sweater, or a scarf with a free knitting pattern, or a certain shade of pink hat to match some mittens. You could spend hours combing the stores, or you could bite the bullet and knit it yourself.
At least that way you know it'll turn out exactly how you pictured it (well, most of the time). And you can always mess around with the pattern until it meets your requirements. Try walking into a department store and saying, "Yes, I'd like that sweater, but could you move the stripes two inches lower?"
3. It's occupying
Waiting to pick the kids up from soccer? Pull out your knitting. Hate watching commercials? Knit them away. Need to kill ten minutes but don't have time to get involved in a complicated project? Knitting to the rescue again. If you don't like sitting still or get bored easily, knitting is the perfect hobby for you.
4. It's fun
I love to knit, not just because I like to make things but because I enjoy the process itself. The act of knitting, of creation, is enjoyable.
5. It's personal
Sure, I could buy a baby blanket at any department store and give it to my niece for her new baby. But doesn't it mean more when I offer something I knit myself? It shows that I care about her enough to invest my personal time and energy into a project.
And those are just the five top reasons I can come up with. So in spite of the fact that it might not be that cost effective, that it takes a long time to finish major projects, and that there's no real "need" for it in our society, let me promise you that I'll continue to knit until I'm too blind to tell the difference between a stockinette and a garter!