In recent years knitting has made a resurgence. In the past more commonly imaged as a Grandmother's task, knitting’s face has changed. People all over are picking up needles, yarn and finding a peace in the slow meditative process that knitting can be. It appears at first ironic in our fast track, consumer culture that people might want to engage in an activity which by its nature is slow and often process oriented instead of product oriented, but this fast tracked busy lifestyle encouraged in our society may be just the reason why knitting has made a come back.
The chaotic nature of living often leaves people with a sense that something is missing from existence. It is more than a stop and smell the flowers sense, it is in reality a sense that we no longer have or make time to dream, to sit still, to embrace quiet. Our society watches videos and plays video games for entertainment, people consume fast food to get to the next appointment on time, and at the end of the day rarely leave their homes for entertainment. Ours is an exhausted, high tech, move as fast as one can society.
Zen and the Art of Knitting
The act of knitting requires one to sit still. By its nature of twisting yarn with the use of needles it requires a certain amount of concentration initially, but once the knitter is in the swing of the act, the act becomes a slow, stilling process. The practice of Zen requires someone to paradoxically empty one's mind by concentrating on the moment. The practice asks of its adherents to find wonder in the everyday moments and to let those moments unfold gradually and peacefully. It requires a certain mindfulness of what one is doing, while simultaneously asking that this mindfulness be fully present to whatever one is doing.
Knitting can achieve a similar space. The act of knitting requires that one concentrate on what is happening between the mind, the needles and the yarn. In the process, the mind can empty and allow the knitting to be all that exists for the knitter at that moment. It asks of the knitter to take part in the process and watch the creation unfold. When people knit they are taking the time to create, to know that they exist outside of a fast and furious world. A knitter sits and engages in a repetitive movement that can be lulling and comforting. It can allow one to just be in that moment without thought, or worry. The concentration required to keep those needles moving become the center in which the knitter engages and often finds the self.
Some knitters report that when they pick up their needles their eyes soften; their body sits up straighter but is ironically more relaxed. They suggest that tension leaves their bodies and they become so focused on the knitting that they often lose track of what is going on in the same room. In dwelling deeply in that present moment, the knitter loses sight of the distracting and vexing problems of life and becomes one with the act of creation. This is a powerful experience. It is nurturing and at the same time dynamic, giving the knitter a sense of a peaceful presence in their hands that they can hold on to and control.
Give It a Try
Peace being the elusive commodity it is in our society there is nothing wrong with giving this a try. Go to a local craft store, sign up for a knitting lesson and learn one stitch. The one stitch is all you need to make a scarf which is in reality one long rectangle. See if the process changes the harried, hurried world one finds oneself in and see if that world is different enough to make a peaceful change in one's life. It may very well be worth it.
