It’s fall and, as usual, my thoughts are turning to yarn. It’s chilly at night and I’m now wearing a jean jacket sometimes – soon it will be time to wear those wool hats and scarves I made last year and go back to my knitting circle. And, it’s not too early to think about starting some projects for Christmas gifts.

A great way to get started on knitting projects is to join a local knitting group this fall! These groups are great if you are a beginner or seasoned knitter. If you get started now, you'll have plenty of time to make wonderful hand-made gifts for the holidays. I recommend finding a knitting group that has an experience knitter whose job is to help people conquer their knitting projects. Knitting is now so fashionable and popular, all cities and many smaller towns, have knitting supply stores with classes and knitting groups.

There’s something comforting and nourishing about sitting in a circle of knitters, especially when it’s cold and there’s snow and ice on the sidewalk. Of course you can be happy knitting in any weather, but I’m a seasonal knitter. It’s primal—working with your hands in a group of mostly women who are talking knitting—what project are you working on, what size are your needles, what kind of yarn is that, and can you help me with this? It’ fun to see the amazing talent some knitters have and the beautiful and complex things they make. For centuries, women have sat together knitting and doing crafts, making beautiful and practical things. It’s good for our souls.

Last December I decided I needed to start a new scarf, so I went back to the Knitting Clinic, my knitting group at the local yarn store. There’s always an experienced knitter there to help as women of all ages sit together—from age nine to ninety. Last season we had a guy knitting with us—he was home on leave from the army and was making a blue wool hat. It was great having him join us. And, here is our unwritten rule: We don’t discuss politics or religion as this is the time to chill out and do what women have done throughout history: foster camaraderie, community, love of crafts, and just be girls together.

A knitting group is a place to stitch and bitch because knitting can be extremely frustrating and nerve wracking. It involves a lot of ripping out, making mistakes, and not knowing what you’re doing. When I first took up the needles, I was clueless—I was the learning disabled one in the class, the one who didn’t purll until she’d knitted five scarves. Without the help of experienced knitters, I never would have learned “continental” knitting or gone on to master the purl stitch!

Reasons to join a knitting group:

You get help learning the basics!

If you’ve just learned to knit, you'll probably need some ongoing support for a while! It’s really frustrating for most new knitters to figure out on their own what to do with a dropped stitch or how to correct that hole in their scarf! Some people learn well from books, but I never do.

You get inspiration from seeing other people’s projects.

It’s fun to see other people’s knitting patterns, new designs, and choice of yarn. You’ll get ideas, encouragement, validation, and overall support from members of your knitting group. You’ll probably get ideas about projects you want to start and learn about upcoming classes being offered at your knitting store. One of my favorite projects was making a felted bag—this was so much fun because we used lots of novelty yarn and the creations were stunning.

You learn new skills and techniques.

It takes time to get your head around how to pick up a dropped stitch and the million and one other things you need to know to get through even the simplest projects. I have seen strong and confident women have meltdowns when they were faced with daunting knitting challenges such as, discovering a garment didn’t fit, noticing a large hole in their garment, or discovering their design was way off. Without Knitting Clinic, I would have put down my needles long ago!

You meet new people and get to hang out with women.

Women need to hang with other women; they need to get out of the house, away from work, away from the computer, or just away! This coming together of women is primal, archetypal, and can be healing.

Knitting helps balance the Yin and the Yang

Knitting in a circle of women gets us in touch with the “yin” or feminine side of life. Yin and Yang, according to ancient Chinese philosophy are the two opposites in nature that make up the whole. The activity of knitting can help provide balance to our often hectic and stressful lives. Once on a roll, knitting can feel like a meditation and working with the natural wool and fibers can connect us to the earth. And, because we are often so involved in mental activity, we forget the pleasure of tactile experiences. Our daily lives require so much focus, drive, logic, and yang (masculine) energy to survive, it’s important to provide balance with creative experiences.

Knitting as a Metaphor Knitting is a metaphor for many things in life. It can be a great teacher because it forces us to be in the moment, be patient, undo our mistakes and do “it” correctly. To learn to knit we have to be a beginner, accept we don’t know everything, and accept we aren’t as good at what we’re doing as some other people are.

And the effort it takes to learn knitting, like the effort we put into other areas of life, has its up side. Once we master even a few basics, we can create many beautiful things. We get to show off when we make something we love and share it with others. We get to spend time with some great people we might not otherwise have gotten to know. And, we can take our knitting with us almost everywhere. This comes in handy while in waiting rooms, road trips, or having to be someplace you wish you weren’t.

Tips to get you started knitting:

• Go to a great knitting store and sign up for classes.
• Buy books and yarn that inspire and speak to you!
• Check out the library for books and magazines on knitting.
• Go online and explore what the world of knitting has to offer. You’ll find discount yarn and knitting supplies on many websites.
• Start with an easy project (your beginner’s class will teach hats or scarves).
• Always have a simple project such as a straight knitting scarf to work on, so if you have problems with a more complicated project you can go back to your scarf between knitting group time.
• Don’t rush, enjoy the process!
• Be patient with the learning process!
• Give yourself permission to be a beginner and make mistakes.
• Use beautiful yarn and materials you love working with.
• Don't be afraid to ask for help!
  

Consider making knitted gifts for the Christmas and other holidays!

Knitters love to make things for friends and family and there is something wonderful about receiving a handmade gift. If you start now, there is plenty of time to make some simple and beautiful scarves or hats as holiday gifts! If you have children on your list, the hats and scarves you knit will go much more quickly.

Consider giving Christmas gift certificates from your local knitting store. Your friends will love shopping for knitting classes, books, yarn, and other supplies.

I have gotten a number of my friends on board with knitting for selfish reasons. I love getting together with friends at my house, the coffee shop, restaurants, and any other place you can think of to knit and talk. Encourage your children to start knitting—learning young will provide them with years of fun!

My favorite wools – if you buy these online you can save up to 50% in some cases:

Manos de Uraguay - Manos Del Uraguay is a co-operative of over 800 women, producing and supplying hand spun, hand dyed yarns and wools to customers throughout the world. Their customers include Ralph Lauren, Benetton, DKNY and many more. This is the wool I used for my first projects and continues to be my favorite!

Noro - Noro Kureyon is a beautiful, hand dyed, 100% wool yarn from Japan. It comes in vivid colors that naturally stripe themselves as knitted. Look for patterns using Kureyon in the Debbie Bliss Noro Book! This yarn is perfect for felting projects from bags, to slippers, and even stuffed toys. I love this yarn – as you knit it creates beautiful stripes and gradations of color!

Debbie Bliss Yarn - These yarns are classic, using beautiful fibers of the highest quality and luxury blends that combine softness and practicality. They are designed to satisfy the knitter's needs, with crisp cottons, sophisticated silks, and silk mixes that drape and flow and an exceptional extra fine merino.

Lamb's Pride - Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted and Bulky: Brown Sheep's original Lamb's Pride yarn offers two fantastic products: Lamb's Pride Worsted and Lamb's Pride Bulky - both blended of 85% pure, soft wool and 15% mohair which produces a garment of exquisite loft and softness! Lambs Pride is available in an exciting assortment of bright, pastels, neutral tones and heathers. Now also available in new variegated colors!

Cascade - Cascade 220 - This yarn is a classic worsted weight wool which is an affordable, adaptable, and surprisingly soft yarn for beginners and pros, quick knits and epic projects. Great for felting projects too!

Supplies:

Knitting Needles – they come in all sizes, are straight or circular, metal, plastic, or a variety of woods. I always use wood or plastic needles.

Knitting bags – I found the Swift Knitting bag online – they have beautiful bags for lots of purposes, take a look – there are good suggestions on what to look for when shopping for a knitting bag!

Warning: knitting is highly addictive and may require intervention, it can be costly and you may not be able to reign in the desire to buy more and more yarn until your storage spaces are overflowing, non-knitters may accuse you of being obsessed (so will knitters, but they understand).