Knitting
A Hobby, a Lifestyle, a Movement
Grandma's Knitting Graffiti on the Streets...
When you think about knitting, the image in your mind is a little old lady rocking in her chair, frantically clicking her knitting needles to make a wool sweater for her children or grandchildren. What many people don’t realize is that knitting has been used for centuries as a form of social activism. In recent years, yarn bombing also known as grandma’s graffiti, has gained popularity as a form of street art utilizing colorful displays of knitted or crocheted yarn rather than paint or chalk to personalize sterile or cold public places or bring public attention to other social movements. In 2014, a knitted pink blanket was draped over a WWII tank to protest the senselessness of war; in 2017, thousands of women across the United States wore knitted pink hats in protest during the inauguration of Donald Trump at the Women’s March.
...and Great Grandma was Knitting Spy Blankets.
Yet, the impact knitting has had on our history isn’t a contemporary phenomenon; it has been used for political activism, and even espionage, for centuries. In 1777, an American woman who owned a tavern in Philadelphia reportedly passed information about British troop activities to George Washington’s troops hidden in balls of yarn by pretending to knit nearby. During WWI and WWII, knitting played a significant role in espionage; women would work coded messages into their knitting or into their knitting patterns. In other instances, women would use their knitting as a cover to talk with enemy soldiers or pass messages to allies.
Knitting Your Way to Better Health
In addition to socio-political benefits, knitting has also been shown to have measureable benefits for a person's overall physical and mental health. Knitting acts as a natural antidepressant and can help ease stress, anxiety, depression, and improve cognitive function. It can also reduce blood pressure, improve motor function, ease chronic pain, and prevent arthritic diseases. These days, many people use knitting to manage the stress of everyday life; rhythmic repetitive movements, like those involved in knitting, induce a form of meditation similar to mindfulness.
Did You Know...?
- The New England Journal of Medicine and the Mayo Clinic have discovered that mental exercises, including knitting, can lower the risk of dementia.
- The Waldorf School has been incorporating handicrafts like knitting and weaving into its curriculum since its inception in 1919 because it helps children learn focus, concentration, gain fine-motor skills, learn to identify patterns and build other valuable skills that will help with reading and comprehension.
- Between 2002 and 2004, the number of women knitters in the U.S. ages 25-35 increased nearly 150%.
- Knitting was initially a male-only occupation. In fact, when the very first knitting union was established in Paris in 1527, no women were allowed to join.
- A minimum security prison in Maryland found that introducing a knitting program to the inmates - Knitting Behind Bars - actually lowered the rates of violence among the men who joined. These inmates learn knitting techniques to make comfort dolls for traumatized children and hats for themselves or loved ones.
- No one knows how old knitting really is, though it's generally thought to be older than crochet and younger than weaving.
From better health to a better world, knitting is a beautiful way to literally make change happen with your own hands.