It is said in our contemporary society that knitting is for old people. The reality is that some people actually started knitting when they were young and can now practice the art in their old age. The words probably come from those who have never learnt to knit.

It has been said that knitting is a relaxing past-time as it allows your mind to be diverted from the everyday stresses. There are some men who have been known to knit and have been quite successful at it. There are many pastoral scenes where shepherds can be seen knitting while watching their flock.

It is also an incredibly difficult thing if your mother has never knitted and, hence, has never passed the skill on to you. However, in the past many schools have incorporated these types of skill into the curriculum so most young children and young adults did know how to knit and can therefore pass the time by knitting in their old age.

It is also a matter of necessity as there were no stores, as there is today, from which to purchase your sweaters. That meant that it had to be handmade. It gave rise to the many different style and type of knitting all over the world. The most fascinating is your Scandinavian knits with their intricate patterns. You also have the Scottish and Irish Aran knits with the mix of cabled patterns. It is a most satisfactory feeling to see your finished product and that it fits well on the person for whom you have knitted it.

Women have been known to spin their own wool and dye it with natural plant dyes to have many different colors. The colors were always of a much richer hue and the wool was pure. Today the wool is manufactured from more synthetic material. Knitting has certainly become a dying art as most young people have stores from which to purchase their clothes and the electronic age and twenty-first century lifestyle does not lend itself to this type of past time.

What they do not know is that you can have a good stretch of knitting done when you sit in front of the television, watching your favourite program. What makes this art so great is that you could also, with a lot of experience, start creating your own patterns. The internet has a vast array of patterns which someone has developed and made available. It has also become quite a lucrative business as well.