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Knitting: Not Just for Stay-at-home Moms

by 7 Comments

young knittersI really wanted to like this article from the Star-Telegram about younger knitters who were attracted to the craft for various reasons but stick with the craft because of the friendships they’ve formed doing it. I mean, it doesn’t even use the term “not your grandma’s knitting”! (At this point, my bar for a good story about knitting is pretty low.)

But then there’s this description of a Brooklyn-based knitting circle, chatting about “Mad Men” to the clicks of their needles:

But these four friends are not retirees or ambitious stay-at-home moms eager to find an outlet for their free time. All have full-time careers — textile designer, graphic designer, kindergarten teacher — and all are under 34.

Grr. I’m 34, by the way, and have a full-time career AS A KNITTER. Well, as a crafter, anyway. And no one’s writing “news” stories about me.

Maybe I’m sensitive. I grew up knitting and I don’t think of it as anything strange that other people my age and younger do the same. The social aspect of knitting isn’t really anything new, either. It’s great that newspapers and other media outlets want to write about knitting, but I’d much rather it was such a common part of life that it wasn’t thought of as news. What do you think?

[Photo via the Star-Telegram by Columbia News Service/Kerri Anne Renzulli]

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Comments

  1. Thought I was the only one that had that reaction. I have knitted since I was six and for 64 years all I heard was that only grandmothers knit. Still knitting even without grandkids to knit for.

  2. As a knitter I find articles like this one funny. However I do get some strange looks when I pull out my knitting. Whether it’s at work or at the local wine bar, it has brought about some interesting conversations, amazing how many people think I’m crocheting. The men are more fascinated than the women, which I find odd. Of course, everyone wants you to knit something for them and I politely say no. I always offer to teach them and gee so far no one has taken me up on that offer. Love your column!

  3. “ambitious stay-at-home moms eager to find an outlet for their free time” Really?

    Why would a SAHM Mom want to fill ALL that free time with knitting when she can just keep sitting on the couch reading 50 Shades of Gray, watching TV and eating bon-bons?

    Guess I’m sensitive too? 😉

  4. Wendi, you are so right!!!! I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for many years and it’s only been since my kids have left home that I have ANY free time! What is up with people?

    If you’re sensitive then count me in that group. Free time? Ha!

  5. Exactly. I work at home but was a work at home stay at home mom for the first two years of my daughter’s life, and there was no free time. There’s still no free time. 🙂 Glad I’m not the only one, though I do find them funny, too.

  7. It was the “yarn-obsessed females” that got to me. I think someone was upset about their writing assignment.

Have you read?

Use Your Sock Yarn Scraps to Knit a Colorful Scarf

Using your yarn stash is important to me throughout the year, but as I start to feel the end of the year coming on I get more excited about using things I already have in the house. Maybe that’s because I don’t want to go to a store in the thick of holiday shopping times, or I like the idea of having a little space in my stash when the new year rolls around.

It’s super satisfying to use up all the little odd balls you’ve made over the year (or years), and I have several stash busting blankets I work on when it’s cold and will maybe finish someday.

If you’d like to start a stash busting project that’s perfect for using up odd balls, check out the Soukish pattern from Neisha Abdulla. This pattern is made for fingering weight/sock yarn, and it’s worked in a tube with allover color work.

This is great for a couple of reasons. You don’t really have to weave in your ends when you can hide them in a tube (this is one time you might even get by just tying a knot when you change colors!) and you can change colors whenever you run out of yarn and it will look good.

Of course the pattern is made with blocks where the designer changed colors, but you can change yours more or less often as you need to make it work for your stash. You can use blank charts to design your own color combinations, or even your own stitch patterns if you like. You can also adjust the length of the scarf as needed or turn it into a cowl based on the amount of yarn you have.

This project looks like a lot of fun and would be a great thing to have on hand to stitch up and then to wear during the cold, gloomy months.

You can get a copy of the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Neisha Abdulla]

Another Way to Use Up All Your Sock Yarn Scraps

Gather Your Scraps for a Fun Wrap

A Scrappy Shawl Knitting Pattern to Use All Your Odd Balls

Use All Your Yarn Scraps on This Great Cardigan Knitting Pattern

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