To Knit or Knot to Knit: I Love Knitting!

Welcome to Knitting with Anita!  I’m Anita, and I love knitting!  My DH (Dear Hubby) suggested that I start this blog/website since I am so passionate about knitting.  So, here goes!

My Story

First, a little about me:  I was born and raised in the South (Arkansas, to be specific).  With the exception of about 24 months, I lived there until I was almost 32 and then accompanied my first husband to Alaska for a military tour of duty that lasted 6 years.  We ended up in Florida, where our marriage also ended up.  I finished a degree in music, specifically piano performance, and after 10 years in Florida, moved to Utah for a position as a music teacher.  After marrying my DH and teaching for 10 years, my blood pressure and my feet said, “No more!”  DH and I sold our home and bought a 40-foot motorhome where we’ve lived for the past 11 months.

Where does knitting fit in these scenarios? A sweet lady missionary taught me to quilt and crochet before I married the first time.  Being a stay at home mom with little disposable income, I realized that yarn (the cheap kind) cost less than fabric (the quilting kind).  I liked the look of knitting more than crocheting, so I bought one of those “Teach Yourself to Knit” books and learned how to manipulate yarn with knitting needles.  This was long before YouTube videos, so I had to learn with the book and occasional help from a friend who knew a little about knitting.

I put my knitting away for a few years.  Divorce and school and kids can do that.  But about 11 years ago I picked up the needles and realized how much I loved to knit.  So after working hard to learn some things I never knew and to remember the things I’d forgotten I knew, I’m back in the comfort of knitting and enjoying the repetitive, soothing work of my hands.

I had an opportunity to teach 12-13-year-old kids, male and female, about knitting a few years ago.  One ‘lovely’ child asked me, “Why should I learn to do this?  I can go buy a sweater if I want one!”

Besides the obvious answer (‘because you signed up for this class!’), there are a number of reasons a woman or man should learn to knit.  Let’s discuss a few of them.

Creativity

First, knitting is a way to be creative.  There is something innate in most human beings that yearns to create something useful, something beautiful. Knitting is one way to do this.  Through the use of yarn, needles, and simple techniques, a ball of string can be transformed into something beautiful that serves a purpose, even if its function is merely decorative.

Knitting allows the creator to manufacture something unique, as well as functional.  Any two knitters could sit down with the same pattern, needles, and yarn and still their projects would not be exactly alike.  Knitting loosely produces a slightly different product than knitting tightly.  Most people don’t know if they are a loose knitter or a tight knitter until they learn the craft well enough to no longer be nervous when they knit.  Besides, why would anyone want to duplicate someone else’s knitting?

Health Benefits

Doctors and therapists recognize the health benefits of knitting.  From relief of anxiety and depression to pride in one’s work to its benefits to those who struggle with various disorders, knitting allows the knitter to relax and reap the health benefits that accompany this craft.  Don’t believe me?  Take a look at this New York Times article about the benefits of knitting.  I don’t often agree with the NY Times, but I’ll definitely make an exception in this case!

It’s Fun!

Finally, knitting is FUN!  Sure, a knotted ball of tangled yarn is a pain in the patootie, but it’s merely an occupational (or feline) hazard.  (Side note: believe it or not, cats CAN be taught to leave yarn alone!  I’ve done it with at least 3!  Gotta be diligent, consistent, and a spray bottle of cool water helps, too.)  It’s gratifying to see a knitted fabric grow with each row of effort.  I like imagining what the finished product will look like and how it will please whomever I’m knitting it for.

One of my earliest knitting successes was, of all things, a tie for my then 5-year-old son Michael.  Michael was (and is) a mama’s boy.  When he saw me knitting, he wanted to know when I was going to make something for him.  Being the loving mom that I believe I was, I asked him what he wanted me to knit for him.  He informed me that he wanted a tie, in forest green.  This was in the days before the internet, so I couldn’t find a pattern there.  I searched through the local library for a book with a tie pattern.  Nope.  No good.

So, I decided to make up a pattern.  Using seed stitch, so it wouldn’t stretch all over the place, I knitted a cute little tie that his daddy taught him how to tie over his Sunday shirt.  That boy was so proud when he went to church with his mom-made tie!  I think he showed it to everyone in the congregation, including the Primary president and the Bishop!  I’m so glad I made that tie for Michael.  When we lived in Alaska a couple years later, I found matching yarn and knitted him a matching sweater.

I’ve knitted lots of things since then, but I’ll never forget that cute little self-designed seed stitch tie that I knitted for my boy.

Now I knit when I watch NBA basketball.  I love the Utah Jazz and I love knitting.  However, my stitches tend to get a little tighter when the Jazz are playing a close game!  I knit when I watch reruns of M*A*S*H* or other favorite old-time shows.  If you haven’t started yet, you can learn to knit, too.  Stick with me, and we’ll go over some things you need to know before you begin.  I’ll teach you what I know.  Maybe together, we can have some fun, all of us can learn some new things, and we’ll make some items that we can all be proud to have crafted.

You might even make a little money, too!

Here’s a link to an interesting book if you would like to try your hand at making money with you knitting passion:  Knitting for Profit.

Happy knitting!

Anita

P.S.  Here’s a great book to help you get started!