How has knitting changed YOUR life?
So, I'm walking to school on Monday, thinking about what a lame blogger I've been this semester. No exciting stash enhancements (except for all my lovely gifties from my SP5 and SP6), no FOs (yeah yeah, shaddap. I know that FOs are NEVER on this blog), no fun pics of group meetings.
And i notice I'm wearing my turquoise cabled cardigan with my brown cords. In my pre knitting life, I would NEVER have worn these two colors together. The turquoise would be saved for either cream or grey combinations. And I thought...hunh. Knitting has changed my life. I wear much more color than I used to (my clapotis is WAY brighter than anything I would've bought in the store), I don't ALWAYS cuss if I've got to wait for the superlong train to cross at Santa Fe or when I'm waiting to get into the parking lot at school. I knit instead! Though I still consider myself a very impatient person, I'm not quite as impatient as I used to be. Instead of getting bored and going shoe shopping all the time or scouring Ebay for knock off designer bags, I knit. Or scour Ebay/Webs/Elann/KnitPicks for bargain yarn. Hmm. I guess that might not be such a big life change, just a change in where my credit card is getting abused.
So... how has knitting changed YOUR life? What about you has changed from your preknitting days to now?
posted by CynCyn @ 11:32 PM
13 Comments:
I'm with you abou tthe whole impatent thing but I still hav emy times...
I LOVE knitting with colors even tho i wear ALOT of dark...its weird I guess. I always loved color * I AM an art major you know*
And the money I use to use for stupid thing sI use now to buy yarn, online mostly.
Now when I see people wearing scarves and things I think "hmm I wonder how long that took them to make" when I use to think "hmmm I wonder where they bought that."
hi,
i agree with you with the patience.i have learned to be more patient by knitting. i am a volunteer knitter for non profit organizations, raising funds for them through their gift shops and the craft sales.
since i don't have to spend my own money buying yarns and patterns, i don't worry about how well or how quick my projects turn out, yet i have tons of varied yarns, donated, to experiment with.
i am more of a 'process knitter' than a 'product knitter' now. however, i churned out a lot of hat, mittens, sweaters, blankets, baby items, without pressure, enjoying every 'stitch' i made. actually,it is relaxing.
may
Like the impossible princess, I find myself wondeirng about the knitting I see other people wearing. I'm always thinking about how to recreate the stuff I see (although I never do).
I also have lots of knitting friends - people I never woujld have met otherwise.
That is a great question!
I'd say that I choose colors I never would have before.
I have noticed that now I look at things in the store and think to myself, "I can knit that" rather than buying it.
I can't sit still for an extended period of time with putting needles in my hand; I never watch TV without knitting close by.
Knitting has also blessed me with some great friends; here is the thing, I have found that not only do knitters have knitting in common but very often they share many other similar interests and hobbies. I can't think of any other thing in my life where I meet someone and almost instantly feel a connection. Knitters are an awesome bunch.
See you tonight :)
Hmm, that's an interesting topic. Knitting has changed my life for me to realize what is important to me and not settle for less. Knitting helped me through my divorce, as long as I had to focus on one stitch and not the mess my life was becoming, I could hang on. Knitting garnered new friends that came into my life, at a time when I needed all the friends I could get. Knitting makes me a bit more patient and I feel that I can make any garment uniquely mine that I know no one else will (usually) have, unless I am surrounded by a gang of knitters. I stayed with knitting because it was something I discovered I was good at and I keep staying with it b/c I love it and can't imagine not knitting now.
I love that! It has made you more patient!
And how cool is it that you use more color now?
I have no stories about how it's changed my life. Well, no: I've "met" a lot of new, neat people. But the actual process hasn't affected me so dramatically. (Yet, I hope!)
Color is one of the biggest things I've noticed too. I used to always wear very muted colors (still do to a point) but color doesn't scare me like it used to. I get more creative with mixing and matching and enjoy the whole process of combining colors.
I don't spend as much money when I'm shopping for clothes because I almost always think "I can make that" when looking at a sweater. What I spend on yarn makes up for what I don't spend on clothes though (by a VERY GREAT deal).
I actually started knitting so that I could quit smoking. It worked out great as I don't smoke anymore and I knit like a maniac.
My favorite aspect for how knitting changed my life though is the friends I've made through it. I have never been a very social person and have always had difficulty meeting new people or making friends. Having a common interest helped "open the door" for me. Not to mention knitters are the most awsome people on the planet!
Tom would also include in this list that I am no longer willing to watch a movie in the dark. I need at least a small light on to be able to watch what I'm doing on the needles. Doesn't bother me at all but it drives him nuts. :D
Knitting keeps me incredibly busy, and I'm never bored. I hate being bored more than almost anything. I've been challenged in so many ways... new techniques, new designs, classes, etc. It's also widened my circle of friends that I really enjoy and appreciate. I find that it doesn't matter what your age is...you can always carry on a conversation with another knitter. I've made friends that I would never have met were it not for knitting.
I hear ya ;) i look for bargin yarn too! what knitter doesn't, guess our shopping habits really weren't replaced, just modified.
I, too, have found that I am wearing more color. My old palatte was all neutrals - brown, cream, gray and black. That seems so boring now!!
I've also discovered a "community". I have a stressful job and knit during lunch to decompress. A few co-workers asked me to teach them to knit and then their friends and family. Now, I have a regular knit night with my new friends.
I would agree with what a lot of people wrote.
I am more patient waiting on lines for the bus, the doctor, etc.
I haven't started wearing a lot more color, still the basic black, but I do appreciate it more.
I love the friends I have made and all the people I meet. We had a caravan of strangers go to Rhinebeck and it was a blast. It creates a common language.
I want to make clothes. I want to make the HP Scarves, and I admit it I want to make funky scarves.
Knitting for me has always been about the process, and has definitely taught me many lessons along the way. It's an activity where I can get completely caught up in the creative process and time just flies by. Sometimes it's the technical details that lure me in, others it's just the repetitive meditative movements that help me to get centered. Best of all, there's an awesome finished product at the end of all that enlightenment.:)
I love color, but still struggle with finding the right combinations to work together in my projects. Too often I'm trying to make something work because the yarn's on sale, or some other extraneous reason.
I'd been knitting for years before I'd ever been to a knit group and I'd have to say, becoming part of a knitting community has exponenetially increased what I get out of this "hobby!" It's true that you can always find something to talk about with another knitter, and it's such a comfortable way to meet new and interesting people you might not otherwise cross path with.
Viva Knitting!
Good topic! I'll have to dive into it in a post unto itself. and thanks for the compliments of the tank being too big ... I'm not so sure. Updates to follow.
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