The other day someone asked me, “Why do you bother knitting?”
The question took me by surprise.
Sure, knitting is pretty unconventional. It seems out of place in our industrialised world, but when you get right down to it, knitting, like all arts and crafts, is about creating.
With some string, a pair of primitive sticks and your own two hands you can bring something beautiful and useful into the world. From the chaos of loose string comes order, neatness and utility in the form of a hat or a pair of mittens or any garment you can dream of. How cool is that?
That’s the magic of knitting. And of creation, really. With your mysterious mind and some raw materials, you can bring beauty into the world!
That, in a nutshell, is why I bother knitting.
But it’s not just me. Since the beginning of time, our ancestors have been making things. Sure, some were for necessity and survival, but flip through any art history book and you’ll see that many others were borne out of sheer joy and expression.
Check out this incredibly elegant Roman water jug from the 1st century AD. Can you believe it’s made of glass? Scholars debate whether it was cast and carved or simply a marvel of ancient glass blowing.
Transferring water from a cistern to a cup doesn’t require this level of craftsmanship and attention to detail. I mean, any receptacle will do. And yet – look at this work of art! Beautiful and useful.
Sidenote: something about this jug feels very modern, like it wouldn’t be out of place in a surrealist still life against a cloud backdrop. Just me?
No discussion about creativity is complete without the fun, weird and surprisingly moving short film, “Why Man Creates” by graphic designer and master of the modern logo, Saul Bass. Enjoy!
“I want to make beautiful things, even if nobody cares.” – Saul Bass [Tweet this]
If you don’t enjoy the process it’s probably true “why bother?” I like to make a lot of things. One time I remember I baked bread and a friend jokingly said “you can buy bread in stores, you know” hah! And with knitting, well, I’ve got some expensive taste in yarn so I’d better be enjoying the process because I’m not saving any money by knitting vs buying ready made 🙂
I love baking too and the whole family loves it! I do it because it’s so yummy and because i love the process of making bread. i’m just started knitting and i think the two are related. they’re both slow and patient but the final results are much better than store bought.
So true! You’ve got to enjoy the actual process in order for it to be worth it. In fact, that’s probably the whole reason why we make things, right? As crazy as it sounds, sometimes the process is more satisfying than the end product!
I’d have to say that, for me, the end product is more precious because the process is personal and satisfying. When I see something in the store that I like for myself or someone I care about, I am thinking of them in that moment, which is nice. But when I make something for someone, so much more intention is going into what that gift (to self or other) will mean. Not just, “this was pretty, thought of you.” It’s more like, “You mean enough to me that I want to put my time, my energy, and my talent into creating something that reminds me of you every moment that I’m making it…and that I hope will remind you of how much I care every time that you wear (use, eat, etc.) it. How wonderful is that…
I just love creating and I find it helps me express my love to the people in my life. What’s a better way to say “I care about you” than spending hours and hours on something you made with your own two hands?
I think knitting also teaches you that good things in life take time so you have to be patient. 🙂
Amen to that!
Love your response, especially this: ” knitting also teaches you that good things in life take time so you have to be patient.”
So, so true! From relationships to aged wine to taking time to get into a good novel (ahem, War and Peace, ahem), the good stuff requires time and patience.