Knitting 101 was a free event held by Student Life on March 12 in the Student Lounge. Alec Zinman from the Peer Resource and Leadership Centre helped nervous beginners get into knitting by showing them the basic knitting stitch and how to cast on. Supplies were provided to students who were interested. The event was laid back, with much of the time being spent in light conversation, or in a comfortable silence.Â
As someone who has been interested in knitting for years, but has never been able to really understand how the basic stitch worked, this event was informative. The ability to have someone there who was able to show me what mistake I had been making for four or so years was great. Sometimes, trying to figure out a process solely through online articles or even videos just doesn’t work, and you need a real human who can see what you’re doing wrong and correct it.Â
I often find myself leaning toward hobbies that produce some kind of physical product, such as drawing or woodwork. As someone who has been sewing for years, the allure of knitting was just around the corner. To think that people could create such elaborate patterned scarves, hats, or gloves out of such a basic material like yarn is remarkable. I’ve even seen projects that resulted in adorable soft toys or a delicately patterned lace. The possibilities seem limitless when my great grandmother can create functional and durable socks or washcloths, and my grandma can knit plush friends for my little cousins.Â
Another fantastic thing about knitting is that, once you get the hang of it, it’s such a mechanical action that you can focus on other stimuli. Even after only a couple of hours, I found my thoughts wandering to my writing projects or what I was going to do over the weekend.Â
While this might come off as kind of a boring hobby, the ability to make something while also having the brainspace to work on or watch something completely different is a thing I need in my life. For a while now I haven’t really watched any long-form television series or movies for over an hour and a half because I always get bored, distracted, or my mind wanders away from the story. Having the ability to knit, I feel, would allow me more ability to focus on what I’m watching while I’m being productive.Â
The final reason that I’m interested in developing my own knitting abilities is admittedly a vain one. I have wanted a bright red knit scarf for the past few years and have not been able to find one to my liking. In addition to my own human-sized knit items, I will also be able to use my newfound knowledge of knitting to produce doll-sized items for my customized figurines in less time than it would take to weave or macrame a scarf or shawl by hand.
