10 Reasons to Knit

One of the easiest ways to get yourself writing is to make lists. In preparation for my great leap into the blogosphere, I've started writing "top 10" lists.

10 Reasons to Knit

1. Outward and Inward. You can be as social or as introspective as you want to be when you knit. Knitting in public (KIP) isn't seen very often here in Delaware, so you have a 50/50 chance of someone asking what you're making or looking at you as if you're from another planet ... or out of town.
2. Art and Craft. Knitting stimulates both sides of the brain because it's both an art and a craft. There's an art to selecting the right yarn for your pattern and being able to tweak the project so that it fits you perfectly. On the other hand, since knitting only involves two types of stitches (knit and purl), it's kind of a tactile take on the binary language of computers: a stitch is either purled or knit.
3. Budget Friendly. Compared to other hobbies, knitting is fairly inexpensive. Heck, you can produce knitted fabric with dental floss and sharpened pencils if you want to. Of course, you can also spend a fortune on needles, yarn, and patterns, so proceed at your own risk.
4. Have Project, Will Travel. Knitting is portable. If you're knitting a pair of socks, you can easily fit all the materials you'd need in a purse or even a pocket.
5. Easy Peasy. Knitting is easy to learn, and you can stop learning new techniques whenever you want.
6. No Offense. Knitting isn't stinky, sticky, noisy, or otherwise intrusive or offensive.
7. Keeping It All Together. The idea is to keep the yarn in one continuous piece and the needles in contact with the yarn. There are some yarns that tend to shed, but compared to a dog or cat, there's not problem.
8. Perfection Is Possible. You can be as anal retentive as you need to be, redoing and redoing parts of your project -- or the whole thing -- until it lives up to your expectations.
9. Anyone Can Do It. If you want to knit, you don't need lightning-quick reflexes or 6-pack abs or the ability to bench 300 lb. Fine motor skills are pretty much all you need. (As your stash grows, you may need those reflexes to hide your latest acquisition before a family member discovers it.)
10. Senses All A'Tingle. The variety of needles (wood, metal, plastic) and materials to knit (from wool to novelty yarns to metal wire) will satisfy all but one of your senses. If you must taste while you knit, I recommend chocolate.