50 Times People Mastered The Art Of Knitting And Shared Their Creations Online

Knitting used to feel like something made for granny souls. But the times are changing and as the world is shifting towards a more sustainable lifestyle, slower consumption, and homemade goodies, knitwork is back in the much-deserved spotlight.

So in order to find out what it takes to master knitting skills and become a proud knitter, Bored Panda talked to Ida, a knitwear and pattern designer from Lapland, Finland who runs her website “Knitgrammer.” Ida said that in Finland, kids are taught how to knit in school already, which makes knitting an essential part of education. “Since I'm in my 30s I have been knitting for more than 20 years,” she added.

Ida explained that during the COVID-19 pandemic, people were forced to stay at home, due to which knitting became incredibly popular. “For instance, Finnish yarn company Novita reported that their sales increased 18% compared to the previous year, being approximately 24 million euros,” the knitwear designer told us. Moreover, “Here in Finland, people also got so excited about knitting traditional Icelandic sweaters that last spring I couldn't find an online store that had the yarn available,” she added. It turns out, even the factory didn't have the yarn in stock.

Ida assured us that anyone can learn to knit. “In Finland, it is taught in elementary school and if it is not a school subject in your country, nowadays there are plenty of videos online from which you can learn.” She also said the knitting community is very friendly and the more experienced knitters will be very happy to share their wisdom with beginners.

Meanwhile, “A pro knitter knows the technique, understands how different materials and stitch patterns affect the fabric qualities, and also knows the math behind knitting.” Having said that, Ida added that you can still “knit beautiful and usable things if you learn the basic techniques and follow good patterns as well as use the yarn recommended on them.”

“The first thing you need to learn as a beginner knitter are the two basic stitches: knit and purl as well as how to cast on and bind off. Good beginner projects are for instance a garter stitch scarf, basic hat, hot pad, or dishcloth.” After mastering the basics, you can move on to more complex techniques “such as colorwork and lace,” Ida said.

But don’t expect to learn everything instantly. “As with many skills, knitting takes practice. Learning the basic stitches does not usually take more than a few hours, but developing your muscle memory might take a while. After you have practiced enough, your knitting becomes more even and you don't even have to watch your hands when you knit.”

Ida explained that selecting a suitable yarn for your project is also an essential skill. It’s because “the aim of knitting is usually to produce some item that can be worn or used otherwise. For instance, if you pick a yarn that is not suitable for socks, they get worn out really quickly or make your feet sweaty. Also, there are certain types of yarns that are not good for colorwork or cable knitting. Before you learn this skill, you can always select the yarn recommended by the pattern.”

“Lastly, if you want to be able to design your own knits, knit without a pattern, or adjust existing patterns, you need to learn a little bit of knitting math,” Ida said and added that “In knitting there is always a formula for everything.”

“For example, there are only a handful of ways to construct a sweater or sock. When you learn the steps and math behind a certain construction method, you can easily knit items without a pattern. For instance, a formula for sock toe decreases could be something like decrease every other row until approximately 50% of the stitches are remaining, then decrease every row until 30% of the stitches are remaining, graft the toe,” Ida concluded.

These days, knitting has become a DIY fashion statement, community activity, educational device, and healthcare tool, so it’s fair to say it’s having a renaissance. “It's about bloody time," American-born textile artist Kaffe Fassett told The Globe And Mail.

However, he added that “It has taken people a long time to appreciate that sitting down and rubbing two sticks together with a string of yarn between them not only creates something beautiful and truly creative, but is one of the most life-enhancing activities around. It just makes you feel good."

In addition, knitting is back under the fashion radar too. Vogue has just released an article “Clingy, Stretchy, Meshy—This Spring Is All About Second Skin Dressing.” Turns out, due to the pandemic, we all grew accustomed to a more casual wardrobe. But designers and fashion aficionados are aware that the age of sweats is coming to its sunset.

So, “spring 2021’s knitwear and ready-to-wear trends offer an easy transition out of it,” writes Madeline Fass. According to her, the three new big knitwear trends are clingy sweats, mesh pieces and stretchy suits.