Knitting is magical.  You take a continuous filament of fiber, two sticks, and make art.  How cool is that?

Despite how it looks, knitting isn’t all that old.  Crochet is a much more ancient art; the earliest known knitting artifacts are from Turkey about a thousand years ago.  If you’re a fiber geek, here’s a look at the first known knitting, along with an engrossing article about knitting history on the popular online knitting magazine, Knitty.

One of the reasons knitting wasn’t done more frequently is that the metallurgy technology to make consistently-sized needles didn’t exist in Europe until the Renaissance.  What makes knitting repeatable and consistent is the diameter of the sticks used; in earlier times, knitting needles were actual needles made of metal.  Nowadays, of course, we can find needles made with all sorts of materials – acrylic, bamboo, ceramics, and wood, to name a few (and I unintentionally alphabetized the list, thank you A-Z Challenge!).

Aside from the art and history of it, I knit because of the Zen of it.  I find the magic of knitting in the simple fact that putting one stitch after the other makes something beautiful, it’s relaxing, and it warms my hands.  I can do it around other people and carry on a conversation, I knit while watching television shows, or I knit on the train.  It’s something I can do anywhere, in all kinds of weather unless it’s swelteringly hot – though even then, I’ve managed to make tiny things like amulet bags.

What about you, Dear Reader?
What made you start your favorite hobby?