Knitting Get Together
The Value In Knitting Together
As humans, we are wired to crave social connections, even those of us who enjoy knitting solo on the sofa watching a good British murder mystery. At some point, we imagine sharing our stitches with a human might give us better feedback than our soft grey cat (I am looking at you Oleander!)
Oleander often sits on top of my knitting to evaluate it, and offer a critique. I am often more confused after he shares his insight, however…
That's why we engage in activities like knitting in groups, to have those moments of creative engagement. While knitting has its own benefits, knitting together with other people can unlock the hidden potential of your creativity. Here's why:
1. Collective Creativity
When we knit in a group, we can collaborate and share ideas. This collaboration leads to collective creativity which has the potential to create something far better than what we could achieve alone. By bouncing ideas off each other, you get to see things from a fresh perspective, learn new techniques, and improve your existing skills.
2. Inspiration
Knitting together exposes you to various styles, colors, and techniques, giving you a more comprehensive range of inspiration to draw from. This new exposure can challenge your creativity and push you to try something new. You'll often find yourself excitedly asking, "How did you do that?" to the person next to you, sparking new ideas for your own work.
3. Problem-Solving
Knitting in a group opens your mind to new solutions to old problems. During group knitting sessions, you can often find knitters discussing and brainstorming how to correct mistakes, what ways are best to adjust the size and fit of a pattern, and even pitching in to fix a yarn barf.
Other Options
What if there are no groups meeting at the library, or local coffee shop to knit the most recent shawl or sock pattern release? Who do you connect with if your “local” LYS is via the World Wide Web? Suppose on your enormous rock of an island in the middle of the frigid Alaskan waters doesn’t have a group of happy knitters welcoming you into the fold?
Maybe you create your own community!
Start your own podcast
Develop your own Knit Together on Instagram or Facebook
Sign yourself up for any group class or course that teaches new techniques
Look for snail mail groups or fiber swaps
Put yourself out there to help others, commenting on blogs, in social posts, volunteering for charitable knits
It might take more effort than knitting 2aat socks, but my friend, connecting with other creative people is not only something YOU need for yourself, but something others need from YOU.
I hope today’s episode helped you consider the ways you benefit from a get together with others, as well as how important your unique perspective and experiences add to strengthening the community of fiber arts. Did you knit the Triangulate Pattern along with the episode? I hope to see what you have made! I wound up making another one while waiting for the podcast episode to format, and then process. I made a few tweaks… I held 3 strands of assorted scrap yarns together and used a US 7 needle. Also I skipped the little opening created by binding off the stitches, preferring instead to tie this one in a small knot. (Full disclosure, I was knitting so quickly and mesmerized by the variety of yarn pieces I kept adding through out to use up, and I completely forgot to add that opening. From start to finish this version to less than 2 hours. It was on and off my needles before I even realized.)
Tiny, assorted scraps all worked together to create this Triangulate. It worked up so quickly. Any knitter can create this!
