The Season for Stitching

Liz Reed is an Adult and Information Services Librarian at the Morrill Memorial Library in Norwood, Massachusetts.  Read Liz's column in the September 25, 2014 edition of the Norwood Transcript and Bulletin.

You can feel it in the air, you can smell it on the crisp morning breeze – Autumn has arrived.  The Fall season means different things to different people: to parents and their children, it means the back-to-school hustle and bustle.  To gardeners, the season means harvest and preparing the ground for a winter respite.  For others, this is the time to enjoy changing leaves, picking apples to bake apple pies, and hot beverages on chilly mornings.
  For me though, Fall means knitting, Fall IS knitting.

To be perfectly frank, I’m the sort of knitter who keeps stitching year-round.  I persevere until the thermometer tops 90ᵒF and the humidity is off the charts.  At that point I drop my needles in exasperation and sulk in a puddle of sweat until the heat breaks and I can knit in comfort once more.

The advent of Autumn marks the time when everyone else finally agrees with what we knitters have been thinking all year, regardless of the weather – knitting is in, so stitch to your crafty heart’s content!  At this very moment, women and men across the country are dusting off their needles, digging through their yarn stashes, and finally tackling that sweater/sock/shawl/hat/fingerless mitt/coffee mug or beer bottle cozy pattern they’ve been eyeing for months, and knitting in public without fear of looking out-of-place or off-season.

In fact, knitting has enjoyed a huge upsurge in popularity in recent years.  According to the Craft Yarn Council of America (CYCA), over 50 million people know how to knit, crochet, or otherwise craft with yarn, and most are middle-aged or younger.  Knitters as a group do not fit the stereotype many people assume; in the CYCA survey, almost half were between the ages of 35 and 54, and 18% were 18 to 34.  There is even an online social media community for fiber artists.  Ravelry.com is a free website where people who knit, crochet, design, spin, weave, and dye can share their works in progress, stashes, designs, advice, inspirations, photos – you name it.  6 years ago the site had about 50,000 members worldwide, and in February 2014 they passed the 4 million members mark.  The United States ranks third in most Ravelers per capita, behind Canada (second) and Iceland (first).

Face it folks, knitting is cool.

How can you get in on what is clearly one of the most awesome pass-times going?  Go to festivals, come to your local library for books and for Stitch Therapy, and always visit your local yarn store (LYS).  Whether or not you’ve already honed your craft of choice, festivals are a fantastic way to meet lots of other creative people, be inspired, learn, meet the actual farmers, designers, sheep, etc who produce your favorite yarns, and fall in love with all things fiber.  The Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival is coming up on October 4^th and 5^th in Tunbridge VT, and October 9^th – 12^th will see Stitches East come to Hartford CT.  The Fiber Festival of New England will hit the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield MA on November 1^st and 2^nd.  

My very favorite fiber festival is coming up on October 18^th and 19^th at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck NY: The New York State Sheep and Wool Festival.  Just to give you an idea of the popularity of this festival, last year on Saturday alone, the festival had over 46,000 visitors.

The Morrill Memorial Library hosts a monthly meet-up of fiber crafters called Stitch Therapy.  While we don’t hold any classes, we do get together to share creative camaraderie, help pick up a dropped stitch, and show off our latest projects to fellow fiber admirers.  Sign-ups are required, and our next meeting is October 21^st.  We also have an enormous collection of knitting and crochet books.  Just a few of my favorites (not in any particular order) are “Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting” edited by Ann Hood, “The Knitter’s Book of Socks” and “The Yarn Whisperer” by Clara Parkes, “Fitted Knits” by Stefanie Japel, “Knit to Flatter” by Amy Herzog, “Adventures in Yarn Farming” by Barbara Parry, and “All Wound Up: The Yarn Harlot Writes for a Spin,” and anything else by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee.  Are you vegan, allergic to wool, or just don’t like the feel?  Try “No Sheep for You: knit happy with cotton, silk, linen, hemp, bamboo, and other delights” by Amy Singer.  Eco-conscious?  Try “Aware Knits” by Vickie Howell and Adrienne Armstrong or “Knit Green” by Joanne Seiff.  If you prefer to just browse the collection, let serendipity take you to the 746.432 call number range on the second floor.

Nowadays, the knitting world has something for everyone.  With Fall now upon us, you’d be in good company to pick up the needles again, or for the first time.  See you at Stitch Therapy, or Rhinebeck!