I am a knitter. It doesn’t sound like a very masculine hobby – but I am in company with some fantastic men like William Shakespeare, George Lucas, Kurt Cobain (Crochet), Ryan Gosling Russel Crowe and David Arquette (the last one’s not too hard to picture) .
Most people think of old women with pencils and notebooks, stacks of yarn all over the place. Through sites like Pinterest we have learned of people in every walk of life who knit loud and proud.
My mother never taught me how to do it (she’s been asking me to show her) – but she did introduce me to sewing. Most boys would probably rather play with video game or something more stimulating – but I was the type of kid who liked to build things and take them apart – I was interested in EVERYTHING.
The first sewing I ever did was with a kit my Mom bought me. It was a piece of fabric with a pattern on it in different colors – the lines on the picture let you know what type of stich to do. I finished one of these pictures – the skills I learned have been useful in life. I can do things like repair holes or hem a pair of pants.
My sewing ability was an advantage. I also learned how to tie a bunch of different knots as a kid which helped with some concepts like “casting on”. For me – knitting feels natural. My fingers hurt afterwards –but other than that there is something very human about it.
I learned it reluctantly. There were a few older women who taught me how to do basic knitting (Much like in the case of Ryan Gosling). The first time – it was forced on me – I took over for a woman who was going out for a smoke. When she got back – she “cast on” for me and got me started. Since then I have spent hundreds of hours doing it. It’s a great distraction from the winter!
I don’t like to meditate – the idea of spending an hour a day trying to block out everything seems appealing - but near impossible for me. Knitting helps with this. I don’t make people sweaters – I knit as a therapy. It’s one of those activities like playing a musical instrument– where you can shut off your mind and just exist.
When you are doing a project – such as a teddy bear – you are spending most of your time counting the number or loops in a row and the number of lines in the pieces. This type of work is still meditative, but less so. The more elaborate the project – the more concentration it will require. I find knitting squares and then attaching the squares together allows me to be alone with my thoughts.
There are a few different styles of Knitting – they all involve a process called “casting on” and “casting off” – these parts require some thought at first but eventually will be part of the routine. As you knit the yarn moves from one needle to the other and back over in whatever rhythm you operate at.
The internet has taught me many things about knitting. I just recently learned how to to a “Herringbone Stitch” which looks really nice.