Knitting; it\'s all in the yarns

Tag : casual socks
Saturday, July 19, 2008 Knitting; it's all in the yarns
Stitch 'n' bitch groups have popped up all over the country after ahost of celebrities revealed their love of knitting, writes Eoin Butler .
IT'S LUNCHTIME ON SATURDAY, in Temple Bar's airy Curved StreetCafe, and the steady clink of knitting needles is punctuated onlyoccasionally by snatches of conversation. It's here, on the firstand third weekend of each month, that one of the country's growingnumber of knitting groups gathers to drink coffee, swap patternsand gossip about everything from "men, to yarn, to politics, to theprice of milk". It's a relaxed, casual affair. But these women areserious about their stitches.
Until recently, it would have been hard to think of a quainter orless fashionable hobby than knitting. For many people, mention ofknitting evokes memories of faded pattern sheets, economicausterity and (in this writer's case at least) a much detestedschool jumper that hung as heavy as a set of chain mail on my backevery time it rained. Twenty years ago, knitting patterns were tobe found in almost every woman's magazine, and yarn shops werecommon in many towns. By the early 1990s, however, the pastime wasin sharp decline and fresh patterns and good yarn had becomeincreasingly difficult to come by.
Today, however, knitting is enjoying a surprise resurgence. Andit's mostly thanks to the internet. Knitting blogs are thriving,yarns and patterns of every description can now be sourced onlineand networking sites allow users to swap patterns and tips withknitters all over the world. On ravelry.com, described by some as"Facebook for knitters", knitting enthusiasts can follow theprogress of each other's work, and check up on what yarn fellowknitters are using and share feedback on particular patterns withusers around the world.
Knitting's newfound popularity has crossed over into the offlineworld too, with so-called Stitch 'n' Bitch (or Knit 'n' Natter)groups springing up around the country. And a glut of celebritieshave made public their addiction: among them Julia Roberts, SarahJessica Parker, Uma Thurman, Madonna, Geri Halliwell and CameronDiaz.
"Julia Roberts tends to do a lot of big sloppy sweaters," saysBairbre, a group member with a year's standing. "Technically, theydon't look very complicated. But that doesn't mean she can't knit."
Bairbre notes that younger knitters today tend to prefer smalleritems - socks, hats, gloves and other accessories.
"They'll use the more expensive yarns, because they're only goingto be using one or two balls." An entire sweater knitted out ofcashmere, she notes, would cost to €150 or €200 for theyarn alone.
Bairbre is currently knitting a sweater for a woman in hereighties. The pattern looks like something out of a pattern museum.
"Yes, well this lady started the sweater 20 years ago. But then shedeveloped arthritis in her arms and she gave it up."
How long does a sweater normally take to make, I inquire.
"How long is a piece of string?" smirks Ann. "There are so manyvariables," Isobel explains. "If you're using fine yarn, it takes along time. If you're using heavier yarn, with thicker needles, itknits up a lot quicker."
Knitting, then, may be more a time-consuming and expensive hobbythan people might think. "You don't knit to save money," explainsBairbre. "Our mothers did, but we don't."
They stitch in silence for a moment.
"One advantage of knitting," says Isobel, "is that you can knitsomething to fit you exactly. You can knit exactly what you'relooking for, whereas in a shop you have to fit into somethingdesigned for someone else."
As unlikely as it sounds, knitting is actually pretty cool rightnow. But Bairbre is realistic about the long-term outlook for thehobby.
"It's certainly on an upswing at the moment," she says. "It hasbecome quite trendy with the young people. But whether these kidswill still be knitting in 20 years time remains to be seen. Twoyears from now they could all be making friendship bracelets again. . ."
KNITTING FACTFILE
• The earliest known example of knitting was finely decoratedpair of cotton socks found in
Egypt that date back over a thousand years.
• Whereas traditionally, the emphasis was on repairingexisting garments, knitting today is "a statement ofindividuality".
• There are Stitch & Bitch groups in towns all over thecountry, including Castlebar, Carrick-on-Shannon, Drogheda, Macroomand Lismore, as well as all the main cities. http://olannban.net/
© 2008 The Irish Times
This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times