Did you
know why Knitting Is the Must-Have Life Skill. Let see.......
Growing up
in Haryana village, my no-nonsense Bagri grandmother tried to teach me how to
knit — a life skill she believed was the key to happiness.
Like any
adolescent, I rebelled and made excuses. “Tomorrow, Grandma, okay? Studying for
a math test now, but I promise we’ll sit down and you can teach me. Can’t wait
. . .
Of course I
regret it. That goes without saying. For sure, I spent lots of quality time
with my
Grandparents,
loving people who embraced the job of raising two more kids (my sister and me)
in midlife after having raised eight of their own, including my father. When my
father left my mother with two daughters under four, her only choice— and a
very good one, indeed— was to move back home so she could work full time to
support us.
My
grandmother showered us with things my mother was too young and inexperienced
to give: unconditional love; patience during a rocky time in our lives;
structure (dinner on the table every night at 8pm); and essential life lessons
like how to make the perfect bajra roti, garlic chutney, sangri
vegetable,churama and strudel and khir.
We learned
a great deal from her, but my sister and I drew the line at knitting.
It wasn’t
until I turned 50, many years after my beloved grandmother had passed on from
heart attack, that I decided to step into my grandma’s friend house to
learn knitting and finally get that lesson. To say that I am
hooked is an understatement.
For me,
knitting is a way to honor my grandmother’s legacy, but also to explore my
creative side which took 50 years to unleash. Sure I knit things for my family
and me to wear, but lately, as more people in my life go through tough times—
loss of job, illness, divorce— I bring out my knitting needles to make
something to make them feel better; a knitted hug, if you will, like the
blanket I made for a relative who was going through chemo.
Here’s why I knit:
Take it With You: You can knit
anywhere—waiting for appointments, traveling, really . . . anywhere!
Multi-Task to Your
Heart’s Content: Knit while watching TV, listening to music or audio books, talking
with friends, having a glass of wine, day dreaming.
Enforces
Mindfulness Meditation: Knitting is calming, relaxing, and keeps us centered because of its
repetitive rhythmic movements, which can help prevent and manage stress, pain
and depression, which in turn strengthens the body’s immune system. Even the
most complex knitting patterns are repetitive, based on combining two
stitches—knit and purl.
Boost Your Memory: Studies show that
side to side eye movements can significantly help boost memory.
Reduce Risk of
Dementia: One study
of over 2,000 people 65 and older found that “regular participation in social
or leisure activities such as traveling, odd jobs, knitting, or gardening were
associated with a lower risk of subsequent dementia.”
Slow Down, You Move
Too Fast: In this
fast-moving world in which we live, taking the time to do something that
requires slowing down to focus on what you’re doing has substantial mental and
spiritual benefits. Put down the iPhone. Pick up some needles.
Knitting as Art: Go beyond knitting
things to wear and create works of art to display in your home, like this wall
hanging that I positioned on a wall.
Give Gifts that
Matter: Jokes about
the dreadful sweaters you receive each Christmas from Aunt Madge aside, giving
a gift that you have made is special, meaningful and treasured. Many people I
know belong to groups that knit for people who are in hospitals, or homeless.
Build Confidence
and Pride: There’s a
certain thrill that comes with holding up something you’ve just made with your
own two hands—whether it took hours or years (as was the case with this
cabled blanket I painstakingly created
for my husband).
Find Your Tribe: When I knit in
public (which is a lot) someone invariably comes over to chat about her (or
his) own project, or, even more often, how she always wanted to learn to knit.
Join or start a knitting club.
The Economic
Equalizer: One can
spend a lot of money on yarn, or very little. You can choose luxurious cashmere
or practical, washable synthetics. I’ve used both and just about everything in
between.
Teach Your Children
Well: Knitting is
not only a practical thing to know how to do; it’s also having an uber-cool
moment right now. Lots of young women and men are turning to knitting to create
their own “slow fashion statements” making it the perfect time to teach the
next generation of knitters.
Grandma Was
Right: Need I say more?
xoxo
