Yesterday, my mother learned to knit! I had been wanting to teach her for about 5 years and she kept telling me she “wasn’t old enough.” This is her in a action! She picked it up pretty easily, even the long-tail cast on. I tried to teach her continental style, but she ended up sort of throwing the yarn with her left hand, so I showed her English and that was a much better fit. She even recognizes when she makes mistakes already. After this practice swatch, she got busy making the Hot Head pattern (but in this semi-solid color) from Stitch N’ Bitch. I’m so proud of her!
Many people still have associations of old ladies and knitting, but this is definitely not always the case, and even if it was…who cares?! OLD LADIES ARE AWESOME! I think if you’re an already an interesting person in younger years, the coolness factor can just increase over time. Most of my knitting friends in this town are over 55, (and I’m not calling that “old” by the way) and I treasure their knitting knowledge, senses of humor, and depth and breadth of life advice that I don’t get from younger friends. I still crave more younger knitting friends, especially those in the late 20s and 30s that are in this brink-of-adulthood confusion as well, but I love my older friends too. I also don’t like it when people make ageist comments (in either direction). There is value in the idealism of youth (don’t squash it yet, please…the world is working on that every day) and there is value in the wisdom of age (you can finally relax and not have to have everything figured out all at once…maybe).
I do want more knitting friends in this middle zone straddling adulthood and adolescence. I keep trying to convert my friends that aren’t knitters here…and thus, making more fiber slaves in general. Why is this so important to me? I love my friends, all of them. I appreciate the perspectives each of them brings to my life. I guess people (who enjoy being social) want people around to share their passion (or maybe obsession is more apt). I talk my bf’s ear off about knitting, all the time. He doesn’t knit (I’m trying) and I think it drives him crazy. I need a few more people in my life that get the madness. I should stop trying to convert the people I already know that don’t seem that into knitting, and just look for even more friends. I’m an extrovert. I can take it.
http://www.frontstreetreviews.com/Microtrends.html
I’ve been reading this book slowly. Totally a chapter on the emerging trend of “Young Knitters” 🙂
Thanks for pointing that out, Lindsay!
i’d heard t young knitters, and male knitters supposed to be on the rise? maybe we’ll see more when school starts again. kudos on converting another into the fold!
I seriously need you around to motivate me to knit! I’ve been SO BAD lately! I really have. Now that I’m not working full time, I’m going to try to get back into it again in a serious way. Keep up the good work. Hooray for mom! She’s a natural.
Right on! Though I kind of do prefer the knitting friendship of my contemporaries more because I spent so much time being the only child everywhere I went. I absorbed a lot adult thought from my elders and it alienated me from my peers when I was in school, church, etc.
Loved your post! Stumbled across your blog looking for new knitting blogs, and your topic was perfect. I taught my Grandmother to knit last year! None of my friends knit… yet! I’m hoping to convert some soon 🙂
You must be a great teacher, for your Mom to pick it up so quickly!!
I love this post. I learned to knit two years ago after my supervisor posted this blog (http://promega.wordpress.com/2009/10/22/cuddly-bacterium-anyone/ ) about “scientific knitting”. I made her teach me to knit…turns out that there are lots of scientist knitters out there. Long live little old lady scientists who can K2tog.