Knitting has always been one of my favorite crafts.  It is both practical and endlessly varied.  I can try new patterns, new yarns, new stitches, new textures, and the result is always something that has a ready-made place in my own life or, more often than not, in the life of the special someone who is the object of my needles' work.

The most incentive to knit something beautiful comes, for me, when a new baby is on the way.  I love to knit baby things.  they are so small and dainty and soft, and they progress quickly.  Knitting for a new grandchild is all the more compelling--a true labor of love. 

Knitting is one of the oldest crafts known to civilization. It dates back thousands of years and is believed to have begun in Egypt.  Over time, the craft made its way to Europe and the British Isles where, during the Middle Ages, knitting was considered the sole domain of men--a woman's job was to spin the wool into yarn.  Accomplished knitters joined together in knitters' guilds, and young men wishing to become knitters served apprenticeships to learn techniques and patterns.  Only after completing such training and demonstrating a high level of skill and creativity were apprentice knitters considered for guild membership.  The master knitters of the guilds created their own patterns and distinctive garments and were commisioned by nobility and royalty, just as were the finest tailors and dressmakers.  The sailors and fishermen of the British Isles, using skills needed to tying intricate rope knots and making and repairing nets, became particularly adept at knitting the warm, woolen sweaters ideal for their days at sea.  These fisherman-knit sweaters are still popular across the world.

Of course, times changed; women eventually took over the bulk of the world's hand-knitting.  Knitting gave mothers the ability to make warm, woolen garments for their families; in cold climates it was an essential skill for every homemaker.  The mere necessity of the items that knitters produced guaranteed that the craft would never go out of style.  Even when new fabrics and machines made hand-knitting less a necessity and more of a leisure-time art, knitting never lost its practical appeal.  Today, while one can certainly purchase machine-knit woolen items of every shape, size and color, there remains something truly special about a quality hand-knit; it is this truth that keeps so many knitters devoted to their beloved craft.

Knitting is, at its heart, a simple craft.  There are only a handful of basic stitches and techniques to learn--the challenge and the variety come in the endless number of stitch combinations, the ever-changing selection of yarn colors, types, and textures, and the increasing dexterity that comes with practice.  As an accomplished knitter, I know that even the patterns that bring exclamations of disbelief from nonknitting admirers are truly very simple.  It is all a matter of mastering a few basic stitches and following directions.  It is also a matter of comfort.  Like any new skill, knitting feels awkward to hands unused to holding and moving the needles, but perseverance will make those needles feel like extensions of your own hands.

The best way to start knitting is to find someone who knits and ask for help.  Learning needle position and stitches from the pictures in a book is hard; it is far better to have someone demonstrate with their own work and offer advice and encouragement along the way.  Once you have been guided through your first project by an experienced knitter, you will be ready to move ahead and learn and experiment on your own.  If you don't have a friend or family member who knits, just walk into a local yarn store; more often than not there is someone there very willing to get a new knitter started.

Knitting lends itself well to producing heirlooms.  These heirlooms are of a different type, of course, than a china cup or a porcelain doll.  A hand-knit sweater, no matter how lovingly cared for, will not last forever, but neither will it sit on a shelf collecting dust.  The cherised, handmade sweater or afghan is a living, breathing heirloom, one that will become a part of daily life, ritual, and tradition.  With today's wonderful durable selection of yarns--from the traditional wools to washable wools, cottons, blends, and even synthetics--hand-knits that are cared for properly can last several lifetimes.  When at last they have seen their final days they will bid farewell to a full and involved life.

My current project is a blanket for my granddaughter.  This afghan is knit on sparkling white to cuddle her in a grandmother's warm love.  Working on this afghan has reminded me of one of the great joys of knitting.  Knitting is a quiet, calming craft, one that leads to daydreaming and planning for the future.  Each stitch brings thoughts of the gift's recipient.

I intend to embroider the afghan with her name and date of birth.  My hope is that someday she will pick up this lovely white afghan, read the embrodiered name, and remember the warmth of a grandmother's unconditional love.  In the grandest sense, knitting this afghan gives me a measure of immortality.  Perhaps some day it will wrap my great-grandchild; if it does, I will be there.