Knitting is a hobby that involves creating fabrics or textiles by looping yarn with needles. Knitting can be relaxing, creative, rewarding, and fun. You can make beautiful and useful items for yourself or others, such as clothing, accessories, or home decor. To start knitting, you only need some yarn, needles, and a pattern. You can learn from books, videos, or classes, and join a community of fellow knitters.
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Knitting
as a hobby
Knitting is very conducive to thought. It is nice to knit a while, put down the needles, write a while, then take up the sock again.
Dorothy Day
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We curated content to familiarize you with knitting as a hobby and to inspire and help you get started.
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Knitting has significant psychological and social benefits, which can contribute to wellbeing and quality of life.
The Benefits of Knitting for Personal and Social Wellbeing in Adulthood: Findings from an International Survey
Basic lingo for orientation.
- Cast on: The process of creating the first stitches on your needle.
- Bind off: The process of finishing the last stitches on your needle and securing them so they don’t unravel.
- Knit: The most basic stitch in knitting, where you insert the right needle into the front of a stitch on the left needle, wrap the yarn around the right needle, and pull it through to create a new stitch.
- Purl: The opposite of knit, where you insert the right needle into the back of a stitch on the left needle, wrap the yarn around the right needle, and pull it through to create a new stitch.
- Stockinette stitch: A fabric created by alternating knit and purl rows, or by knitting every round in circular knitting. It has a smooth side (the knit side) and a bumpy side (the purl side).
- Garter stitch: A fabric created by knitting every row, or by alternating knit and purl rounds in circular knitting. It has a ridged texture and is reversible.
- Ribbing: A fabric created by alternating knit and purl stitches within the same row or round. It has a stretchy quality and is often used for cuffs, hems, and necklines.
- Lace: A fabric created by making intentional holes in the knitting using yarn overs (wrapping the yarn around the needle without making a stitch) and decreases (combining two or more stitches into one).
- Cable: A fabric created by crossing stitches over each other to create twists and braids. It is usually done with a cable needle, a short double-pointed needle that holds some stitches in front or behind the work while you knit the others.
- Colorwork: A technique of creating patterns and designs with two or more colors of yarn. There are different methods of colorwork, such as stranded knitting (carrying both colors along the back of the work), intarsia (using separate balls of yarn for each color section), and mosaic knitting (using slipped stitches to create color effects).
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How to break the ice and make a start.
The easiest way is to get a knitting kit for beginners. It will have everything you need to complete your first project, such as needles, yarn, and instructions. Once you finish your kit, you can buy more yarn and try different patterns and techniques. You can learn from various sources, such as YouTube videos, books, courses, or apps.
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Knitting can stimulate the brain and enhance memory. Knitting involves both hemispheres of the brain and requires concentration, coordination, and creativity. It can also boost memory by creating associations between colors, patterns, and stitches.
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Further reading.
- Purls of wisdom: the wellbeing benefits of knitting and crocheting | DIY | The Guardian
- Yarnfulness: Engaging the public in research on well-being through craft — Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford
- The Benefits of Knitting for Personal and Social Wellbeing in Adulthood: Findings from an International Survey – Jill Riley, Betsan Corkhill, Clare Morris, 2013
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Knitting can connect you with others. Knitting can be a social hobby as well as an individual one. You can join a knitting community online or in-person to share your projects, ideas, tips, questions, and inspiration. You can also learn from other knitters, get feedback, join challenges, participate in swaps, or make new friends.
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What do I need to start knitting?
You need some yarn, a pair of knitting needles, and a pair of scissors. Optionally, you can also get a tapestry needle, a measuring tape, a stitch marker, and a crochet hook for finishing your projects. A knitting kit for beginners will have everything you need for your first project.
How do I learn the basic stitches and techniques?
You can learn from books, online tutorials, apps, or classes. A knitting kit for beginners will have the instructions you need for your first project.
How do I read a knitting pattern?
A knitting pattern is a set of instructions that tell you how to make a specific project. It usually includes information such as the materials, gauge, size, abbreviations, stitch patterns, and finishing techniques. You can follow the pattern step by step or use charts and diagrams to visualize the stitches.
How do I fix mistakes in my knitting?
There are different ways to fix mistakes in your knitting depending on the type and severity of the error. Some common methods are tinking (undoing one stitch at a time), frogging (ripping out several rows at once), dropping down (fixing a mistake in a column of stitches), or using a lifeline (a thread that marks a row of stitches that you can return to if you need to undo your work).
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Knitting is a boon for those of us who are easily bored. I take my knitting everywhere to take the edge off of moments that would otherwise drive me stark raving mad.
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
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| Skills | Attention to Detail, Concentration, Creativity, Fine Motor Skills, Mathematical Skills, Memory, Mindfulness, Multitasking, Patience, Perseverance, Self-esteem, Social Skills |