I have met very few teenagers that are passionate about knitting. Many find it unnecessary, as knit hats, scarves, sweaters, and mittens are available at every store that sells clothes, for arguably cheaper than the supplies needed to knit them. Others believe it is too repetitive, boring, or just plain time consuming. As an avid knitter, I know all of these arguments are true. Many times, I have walked past a hat in a store that looks oddly similar to a hat I have made for less than the price of the skein of yard I would buy to make it. Moreover, it takes me about six hours to knit a hat and almost double that amount of time to make a scarf. Plus, if I slip a stitch or get the pattern wrong, I have to start over completely, no matter how …show more content…
When knitting, I have the final say in what the garment looks like, how it feels, and how durable it is. I can make the garment the color, size, shape, and texture that fits my specific needs. This creative freedom is in stark contrast with most of the rest of my day, where a lot of my schedule is dictated by other people. Knitting allows me to express myself in a productive way, as every garment I make has a use after I finish making it. This is by far my favorite creative outlet, because I can justify spending time knitting as productive. This justification is necessary, as it does take a very long time to knit a garment. Many would see this as a downside, but I consider the time I spend knitting as a form of meditation. Since it is so easy to make a mistake in the stitching, I have to concentrate on the solely the stitches I make and count them as I go to assure that I am accurately following the pattern. This allows me to take my mind off of other stressors in my life and relax in an efficient way. However, in a special way, I appreciate when I do slip a stitch or mess up the pattern. Although I usually get upset at first, making mistakes has allowed me to practice patience. Since I have generally had an easy time understanding information in school, I used to become very impatient when I could not understand a topic right away or finish it quickly. Since knitting forces me to slow down and take my time, I have improved my patience