101 Reasons Why I Love Knitting
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Oh knitting, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…
- it’s calming.
- it’s creative.
- it’s enjoyable.
- it’s easy.
- it’s difficult.
- it can be undone.
- it encourages me to practice maths.
- i don’t need maths to do it.
- it encourages me to be lazy.
- it allows me to do something with my hands, even when i have to concentrate on something else.
- i like the feeling of yarn.
- i like the feeling of needles.
- i like the gentle click the needles make as i knit.
- i like to make the things i wear.
- i like to know how the things i wear are made.
- i like to keep warm & help others keep warm.
- i like having the ability to create something i want to wear.
- it helps me think.
- it improves my concentration.
- it connects me with many other people.
- it creates physical representations of time, effort, and love.
- it encourages me to improve my photography.
- it encourages me to improve my drawing.
- it encourages me to think laterally.
- it’s taught me a lot about fiber that i would otherwise not have known.
- it helps me make decisions about what i wear.
- it encourages me to be patient.
- it encourages me to try new things.
- it can be practiced almost anywhere.
- it’s ancient.
- it’s brand-new.
- it never gets old.
- there is no limit to the variety of stitches and patterns that can be knitted.
- there are many many different ways of knitting.
- it’s elegant.
- it’s a way of filling my life with colour.
- it’s a language not everyone knows.
- it’s a language everyone knows.
- it’s multi-lingual.
- it’s tiny.
- it’s huge.
- it’s extremely precise.
- it can be fudged.
- it can be used to make the most necessary, and the most unnecessary things in life.
- it’s practical.
- it’s limited.
- there are always things to learn.
- it’s meditative.
- it can help you look cool & detached in a heated discussion.
- it’s endlessly frustrating. (it winds me up!)
- it’s basic. all you really need is a length of something string-like.
- it’s thrifty.
- it’s luxurious.
- it takes hours to learn.
- it takes years to perfect.
- it’s addictive.
- it’s tempting.
- it’s ripe for allegory.
- it makes me want to jump out of bed.
- it makes me not want to go to sleep.
- it’s taught me to notice which styles flatter me & which don’t.
- it encourages me to challenge myself.
- there’s no wrong way of doing it.
- it can be a social activity.
- it can keep you company when you’re alone.
- there’s no need to make long preparations.
- it keeps me from biting my cuticles.
- it looks impossible to non-knitters.
- a knitted piece is never final or finished, but is always in flux.
- knitting is a fun way to donate to charity.
- knitting teaches you to deal with anxiety and worry.
- a knitted piece can always be recycled.
- knitting can be work or play.
- it can help you procrastinate.
- it can help you stop procrastinating.
- it improves your visualisation skills.
- it’s a conversation-starter.
- it’s resourceful.
- you can rip it when it makes you angry, and it’s still OK.
- it’s not fashionable.
- it can help you show someone just how much you care.
- it’s literary & makes me want to write.
- it can drape.
- it can be sculptural.
- it’s concrete.
- it’s better than just sitting there.
- it’s one of the simplest ways of creating fabric.
- it encourages you to branch out into other fiber-crafts.
- you can literally put blood, sweat, tears (and hair) into it.
- you can use your needles to stratch your back.
- it often defies both logic and probability.
- every stitch is unique.
- every stitch is a brief metamorphosis, every stitch has a previous existence.
- it’s made of loopholes.
- it’s high-tech.
- it makes a good day better.
- it’s feminine.
- it’s masculine.
- you are what you knit.
- it’s active, dangerous, risky & terrifying.
- it’s classic.
Writing this list really filled me with joy for my art. I’m sure I could find another 101, but I’d quite like to read some of your reasons too!
Love this! Can I translate it do portuguese and post it in my blog (with credits, of course)?
i loved all your reasons, but this one:
“you can use your needles to stratch your back.”
had me laughing out loud! come on, who hasn’t done that? ‘->
moth heaven linked your blog. i stopped by to look at all the pretties. hope you don’t mind. =]
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It’s made of loopholes.
HA!
I just found your blog, and this list is marvelous! Love it! :-)
every stitch is a brief metamorphosis, every stitch has a previous existence.
LOVE THIS! Please let me know if I can quote it with credit to you!! what a great list!
Mais oui! I’d be delighted, thank you. :)
I have been to alot of websites and I love this website. How do I love knitting is exactly how I feel also! Thank you so much! I signed up and I could not get the download! I love this website! Thank you!!
My favourite reason is it reminds me of my grandmother. I loved watching her hands with the yarn wrapped this way and that as she worked. :)
You don’t need electricity or fancy kit to do it. Though daylight would help in a power cut!
I LOVE this (and I love knitting). I believe I will print it onto transfer paper and put it on a tote bag. I thought about entering it into the text function of my machine embroidery software but all that rehooping and trimming all the jump stitches would take too much knitting time.
I somehow navigated from the Ravelry page where I found you. Sorry. Oh, now I remember, it was the thread where you asked for opinions on those fab tags.
Thanks for the ebook. The stationary is on my list for next pay period. I’ve been thinking for a long time about creating my own. Now I don’t have to.
PS The list of reasons on a tote bag would make a great Ravelry Mini Mart item. I get asked why I knit a lot. My usual answer is it keeps my hands busy so I don’t strangle people who ask inane questions.
Wow, won’t it be rather long for a bag? Maybe you should pick your top 10. :)
I’m really glad you’re enjoying Laylock. Happy Knitting!
[…] minutes you can undo a whole day. It’s like loosening the fabric of space & time… It’s brilliant! Leave a Reply Click here to cancel […]
[…] On a side note, if you like lists like this, you really should read the 101 Reasons Why I Love Knitting. […]
i think you are new beat friend i just came across your website and love it thanks
Thank you so much for this website. I love it and so glad I found it.
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