Move over, grandma.
Knitting, an activity which used to be associated with elderly women making sweaters, is undergoing a resurgence as younger people are discovering the craft.
“It’s definitely making a comeback,” says Althea Mongerson, owner of Intwined Fibre Arts, a Salmon Arm boutique dedicated to the fibre arts.
“I think it is tapping into the movement of people wanting to get back to their roots, to make things that are unique rather than simply going out and buying something. It’s about reconnecting with things that are real, natural, local and healthy.”
Surrounded by rich colours and textures of yarn in her shop, Mongerson says knitting has a warmth and a friendliness about it that can draw people in. People often stop by with questions about a project and to get ideas for their next creation.
Mongerson says she is seeing a lot of interest in learning to knit, especially among young women and mothers.
“A lot of these women remember knitted things from their grandmothers, but their mothers never learned, so now they are seeking out a way to get that skill.”
Knitting 101 and 102 classes, which are two-session and teach knitting basics including the making of a cowl and simple knitted hat, have been very popular, as has the recent addition of a kids knitting class.
Kristina Harisch, 27, is one of the next-generation knitters, who is the instructor for many of the Knitting 101 and 102 classes. She learned to knit as a young teen, but then took it up again seven years ago when she learned she was going to become an aunt.
“I wanted to do something really special as a present for this baby, something that was personal and from the heart, so I picked up the needles and made a blanket.”
While knitting is an age-old skill, technology has made a real impact on the knitting world. Knitting blogs and websites like ravelry.com offer hundreds of patterns, project ideas and advice. Knitting videos are also widely accessed on YouTube and can help a knitter get past any difficulty they may be having. Another attraction to knitting, Harisch says, is that it’s a productive hobby that can be done almost anywhere and while you are doing other things like socializing or waiting for an appointment.
“I should be knitting now,” she jokes during the interview.
It was that feeling of accomplishment that drew Hanka Mosher, who learned to knit in October, into the craft.
As a working mother of two and self-confessed Type A personality, Mosher said she has found knitting a terrific form of stress relief. She first learned to knit from a fellow mother while sitting and watching their children at swim meets.
“I have a hard time sitting still, so this used to make me crazy, feeling like I was sitting around doing nothing. Now, I knit and I am way more calm because I feel like I’m doing something, not wasting time,” she says. “It’s made me a better mother. I’m not always rushing and yelling at them to hurry up.”
Her husband also appreciates his wife’s self-described knitting obsession. The family often travels to Revelstoke to go skiing, and Mosher says she is a nervous passenger prone to giving driving advice or critiques.
“Now I knit, so I don’t pay attention to the road and my husband says it is the best thing ever because he doesn’t have to listen to me complain about his driving. He doesn’t even mind when he sees the Visa bill with my charges from the knitting store,” she says. “I’ve told my kids this is so much more rewarding than feeding them. I prep, I cook and they eat it and all that’s left is the mess to clean up. My knitting is something that lasts.”
Knitting groups or circles are cropping up, which gives women a chance to come together and socialize while still feeling productive. There are a couple of knitting groups in Salmon Arm, including the Odd Sock Knitters who meet at the SAGA Public Art Gallery on Friday afternoons and a drop-in Knit Night on Mondays at 7 p.m. at the Shuswap Pie Company.
“It’s one thing to tell your husband you are going out with the girls, its another to say you are going to your knitting group,” says Mongerson. “One sounds like sitting around gossiping, the other sounds like you are accomplishing something. It’s like a book club, it’s not always about the book, but about connecting with others.”
Information about upcoming classes can be found by calling Intwined Fibre Arts at 778-489-1090.