Why did I get into knitting?
I think this is probably one of the most commonly asked questions and maybe the question that always stumps me. Over the years, I feel like this answer has changed as I’ve developed as a human and knitter, but I’ll try to break it down a little.
My knitting journey started when I was about 21 years old (I’m 28 now). I was lounging around my room watching the cricket on a HOT summer day and I saw my mum knitting and thought that it looked interesting and cool. I know you might think that summer heat and knitting don’t really pair well together but in fact they are the perfect pair! Nothing beats knitting inside a beautifully air-conditioned room whilst escaping the scorching heat. Nothing also beats knitting inside whilst it’s pouring down with rain! Essentially, nothing ever beats knitting but we digress.
The reason why I initially started knitting isn’t anything exciting, it was purely that I found what my mum was doing interesting, and it gave me something to do whilst I watched sports. The reason why I continued to knit is probably more involved and a bit of a deeper conversation.
For those of you who knit or crochet, you are probably aware of the feeling you get when you complete a project. For those of you who don’t know, it’s a real feeling of satisfaction and happiness. Like a shot of adrenaline. I guess it was this feeling that I was chasing and what kept me knitting. As an individual, I was never someone who persisted with a project in my life and I still quit on certain things, but knitting was a little different. I found that completing a garment, being able to wear it and have that physical item that I can look at and be proud of has been a real game changer for me. I tend to be an emotional person and a lot of these emotions are channelled into my work, so to be able to look back on a beanie or jumper I have made and remember what I was going through is very rewarding and inspiring for me.
It was never my intentions to turn knitting into an outlet but I’m glad that it has become just that. I find that if I’m ever stressed, overly emotional or anxious, I am able to channel this negative energy into my knitting. OF COURSE knitting can be a stressful hobby in itself but I find it to be my calming release and something that I can take with me anywhere I go! That’s probably the best part about knitting, being able to take it with me wherever I go and being able to use it to calm myself if I ever do feel overwhelmed. All this whilst producing something that I can actually wear, sounds like a pretty good gig to me!
Ultimately, the reason why I keep knitting is because I enjoy creating something out of nothing and the community, I have been able to create that supports me. This is a major part of my continued knitting endeavours but probably a story for another time.
I got into knitting because of an interest and kept knitting because of a feeling.
Well, it all started in the summer of 2015. 21-year-old me was just relaxing in his air-conditioned room watching sports and I saw my mum knitting. I was pretty curious about what she was doing and decided that I’d get a few lessons from her and give it a go. The start was far from smooth sailing, but I soon got the hang of it and got into making beanies of various shapes and sizes. I’m really not one for following instructions so at the start my knitting was all over the place. An absolute nightmare but I was really driven by the feeling I got from completing my projects. It was something I felt I struggled to find with previous activities I tried.
The years passed and I just casually went about my life, knitting, studying, travelling, and just cruising along. I ended up hitting a few bumps in the road when I was about 24 and I ended up finding comfort in my knitting and this is when the passion really started to grow. My knitting journey has recently led me to start designing my own knitwear because I personally found that there was a real lack of men’s knitwear that suited my simplistic style. I never intended to become a knitting designer or be addicted to knitting but it kind of just happened this and I’m very excited to have you join me on my own journey!
I truly believe that knitting has so much to offer so many different people and I’d love to help other knitters find their feet on their own knitting journey.