The Comeback
Often labeled as one of the “domestic crafts” or stereotypically connected only with women, knitting in the 21st century has finally taken revenge and has successfully got rid of the sweet-granny-in-a-rocking-chair mental image interconnected to it and engraved in the public’s mind for decades. This traditional art has now become not only progressive, fashion-wise, but also the epitome of sustainability as well as coolness: from Instagram knit-groups and activism to “extreme” knitting and a sense of pure relaxing during the pandemic’s lockdowns.
History…Unraveled
The art of knitting starts with ancient Egyptian toe-socks (5th century AD) with Arabic blessings or other symbols sewn on them to keep bad luck away. The knitted textile traveled from the Middle East to Europe in the 14th century through trade roads with fishermen, sailors, soldiers and workers becoming huge fans of knitted wool clothes for obvious reasons. Men and women knitted for centuries until after the two World Wars and the Great Depression when holding a pair of needles became then related to housewives, since women started to knit for the war or for their own households due to poverty.
From Coco Chanel to Extreme Knitting
Much later on, fashion designers showed a lot of love towards knits, such as Emilio Pucci and Missoni during the 1950s and 1960s, or Coco Chanel who used knitted materials for her signature suits and presented knitwear, in general, as the perfect choice for doing sports. At the end of the 20th century, progressive designers, like Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen, started playing around with knits to create edgy garments while they simultaneously expanded the horizons of fashion. In the 21st century, there are the so-called “extreme knitters”, coupling traditional methods with innovative attitudes; such as the Icelandic knitwear designer, Ýr Jóhannsdóttir, super famous for her Cubist-inspired and experimental sweaters with protruding tongues, emphasizing in her unique way, how fashion-forward and alternative-looking knits are and how they go against any kind of sexism or ageism. Knitting is, indeed, for everyone!
The (Un)Bearable Coolness of Knitting
Lately, with all that’s been going on globally, especially climate change, natural disasters and long periods of social isolation, every generation has come to realize how destructive fast fashion is to its employees and to the natural environment, so we’re all trying to buy from sustainable brands or we’re focusing upon creating our own garments by ourselves.
This is where knitting comes in. When you become a knitter, except for helping out the environment, you get something for yourself, too: you make your own creation either for you or, even better, for the ones you love. Plus, you can come up with smart uses for all of your yarn odds-and-ends without throwing them out. Why not make some all artsy pieces for you wall?
Also, not only does it ensure a sustainable way to live but also benefits our overall wellbeing and health: it reduces stress hormones and anxiety, helps kick addictive habits, even potentially prevent low-level memory loss and can definitely put us in a near-meditative state, too. Wow. So, knitting is the new yoga! And if you want to get away from doom-scrolling and Netflix, multi-tasking or constantly checking your phone, then take up knitting; it’s a win-win.
The coolness continues: a new type of graffiti has become very popular around the world, called “yarn bombing” also called “yarn storming”, “guerrilla knitting”, “urban knitting”, “graffiti knitting”, etc. Basically, this includes colorful displays of knitted or crocheted yarn or fiber to personalize and give life to various sterile and cold public places.
Even world-famous celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker, Demi Lovato or Ryan Gosling have been spotted holding their knitting needles on film sets and creating fun stuff.
Apart from extreme knitters, Hollywood stars, sustainability, knitting groups or in-person and online courses for fun and socializing, there are also various LGBTQ-specific knitting gatherings, and many more, which have been promoting activism and progressive causes for some time, now.
You Can Knit
Don’t think that you need some superhuman power or special talent in arts and crafts to take up knitting. You just need to follow a few basic rules and to prepare yourself for loads of fun, above all.
Some first steps for you:
- Yarn: Touch your yarn before buying it. It’s important that you actually like it, so avoid buying it online. Usually, what’s suggested for beginners is a light-color yarn since it’s easier to see where exactly you’ve stitched and also, material-wise, wool is the best choice because it’s stretchy.
- Needles: Don’t fret about your 1st pair of needles; you’re probably going to want to experiment and play around in the long run. But the best route when you’re a beginner is medium or large needles since they’re easier to handle and make sure they’re straight ones – at first – until you’ve become a more advanced knitter; then, you can also try double-pointed, circular, cable ones, etc. Regarding the material: bamboo or wooden needles are the perfect ones for starting out because your stitches won’t slide off of the needles as easily, like other materials such as plastic or aluminum.
- Decide what kind of student you are: you may learn better in an in-person or group setting or via one-on-one session with a friend or family who’s familiar with the art of knitting. Or you might want to learn by yourself via an online course, various video tutorials or even some knitting books with step-by-step detailed instructions. Also, you can buy preassembled kits of materials which are accompanied by guidelines for beginners and they come with a specific pattern.
- Set a deadline for yourself: a friend’s upcoming birthday or another occasion might be just around a corner, so give yourself a specific timeframe to finish your 1st project – don’t let it drag for too long.
And always remember: the most exciting part of knitting is the way in which it ties you to the people you love.
Fun Knitting Terms
U.F.O.: Unfinished object.
Frogging: When you give up on a project and you end up ripping out its stitches. The name comes from the sound it makes (“rip-it rip-it rip-it”).
Casting on: Getting the first row of stitches onto the needle.
Casting off: When you’ve reached the end and you have to get the stitches off the needle but they don’t immediately come unraveling.