The word knitting conjures up a white-haired granny in a rocking chair to most minds. Comforting though this may be, it tells only a fraction of the story. In the past few decades, gifted artists and designers have turned their genius to the unique medium of yarn, creating sophisticated combinations of color and pattern to rival high fashion. Expensive yarns from Italy now share space on shelves with luxurious kid mohairs, silk, and wool blends specially crafted for intricate designs. Today's hand-knitter can work with the world's best materials and resources.
P erhaps a desire to create beauty in everyday objects is hard-wired into the human psyche.
Though plain objects may be just as useful, we feel a hunger for beauty, for form as well as function. Any piece of knitting, no matter how humble, requires the application of practical mathematics. There is a spiritual component to knitting as well, which helps explain why knitting, and handicrafts in general, have managed to retain their popularity through all the eras of human history. Our spirit rises to the challenge of artistic creation, to flights of invention and ingenuity. One of the most vaunted benefits of spiritual practice is that it lowers blood pressure and preserves us from the debilitating health consequences of stress.