I don’t even remember learning to knit, crochet and sew – it feels like I’ve just always been able to. Like lots of people of my generation, my beloved Nana taught me to knit and crochet. My mother (and school) taught me to sew. I’ve always enjoyed crafting, but I’m not very creative so it wasn’t something I actively engaged in as a young person. I knitted and crocheted stuff for my kids when they were little, but they grew up in a time when clothing had to be easy to wash and wear. Fast, cheap fashion was king.

I remember really clearly when I started crocheting again. It was September 2018 and I was having a conversation with my daughter about my precious Nana blanket – the blanket my Nana had made for me when I was born. All her grandchildren/great-grandchildren got one. My son was one of the last to get one before she died – I still have mine and his. My daughter wasn’t born when Nana died, so she doesn’t have one. I was struck with the realisation that I was now the Nana and it was my job to provide the blankets! Before I got started on blankets for the grandkids, I committed to making one for my daughter. It had been a while so I didn’t really know where to start – but luckily YouTube came to the rescue.

I finished the blanket for my daughter by Xmas 2018 and moved on to crocheted soft toys, more blankets and then hats and scarves. I crocheted my way through the beginning of the pandemic – it was so good to have something productive to focus on other than work while we were in lockdown.

I eventually got frustrated with crochet as a medium for making garments and turned my hand to knitting. I’d never been much of a knitter – I knew how but I was slow and messy. So I started small with a couple of baby hats, some booties, and then it was time to dive into what I really wanted – a jumper for myself. I got a free pattern from Lincraft and hit up my local yarn shop to get some wool. I’m so proud of my first ever jumper! It took me nine months to complete – I started it during the first COVID lock down in March 2020 and set a goal to complete it within 2020. It was a long slog (I knit one of the arms twice) and I finally finished it at a week before Christmas, just in the nick of time.

Since then I’ve knit tonnes of garments – hats, scarves, shawls, socks, booties, cardigans, sweaters. I love the mindfulness of knitting. Before I knitted, I spent a lot more time on social media – knitting has replaced doom-scrolling for me, and I find it much more peaceful (and productive!). It’s made me a more patient person too. Nowadays, a pause in proceedings (queuing, waiting for someone, sitting in a meeting) is just a good chance to get a few rows in – I almost always have a little something to knit on in my bag.

Knitting has also given me a new community to be part of. I am a member of a few different communities of interest – I love the way they bring people together who might otherwise not meet. I really enjoy my knit group – we meet on a Wednesday evening, eat pizza and knit together. Which is a slightly weird thing to do when you think about it…but I get a lot of joy from seeing what my fellow knitters are up to, and planning our next projects together.

This is why I knit.

I haven’t written anything here for almost two years. I used to really love planning out future blog topics and doing the research and writing, but I’m now out of the habit. I think Facebook played a big part in breaking my blogging routine. While I was being a regular Facebooker, there was no real reason to share bits of my life here – it was all over there for everyone to see.

Since finishing up on the Community Board last October, I’ve used Facebook only as needed to communicate and keep up with community activities. I have just become less interested and not really engaged with social media in general in the last couple of years. Why?

When social media was young, I marvelled at the fact I could chat with people anywhere in the world – I had friends all over the place, and was able to keep in touch with family overseas. In the last couple of years I have more of a desire for analogue relationships. Is it related to the pandemic? It happened around the same time. Correlated rather than causal I think.

At the same time as the pandemic, my life shifted subtly. I hardly noticed it at the time, but I feel different – I am in a new life stage. My children are both over thirty, married with kids. My stepdaughter finished her degree and moved out. My grandkids aren’t little anymore. Stephen and I are settled in our jobs, our routines – much more focussed on each other and making ourselves happy. I have no big stressors in my life at the moment – it’s allowed me to relax and enjoy myself.

Part of that shift for me was becoming more politically active and getting involved in knitting and crafting. These activities have given me new things to focus on and put my energy into, and new people to connect with. In my 20s and 30s I was lonelier. I spent a lot of time alone or with my kids at home. Friendships and connecting with people wasn’t as easy when I had limited funds and kids at home. My (local, in-person) world has massively expanded in the last few years so I feel little need to entertain myself with Facebook, Instagram or Twitter (let’s not even discuss that dumpster fire).

I was reflecting last evening while sitting with some pals at my local knit night how lovely it is to find like-minded people that I can relax and be myself with. We often sit in companionable quiet and just knit. And then sometimes there is a lot to say and it’s loud and busy. I just love it.

More on knitting next time.