5 Reasons You Should Knit this Winter

Here at HerCampus Waseda, we’ve brought to you reviews, interviews, and valuable life skills (also, terrible rhymes), so this week I asked myself: what else can I bring to the table? And I wasn’t too sure of the answer, mostly because I’ve exhausted 90% of my mental power writing what feels like a bajillion words for various mid-term papers, and the majority of what I do aside from writing is knitting- so here we are today. 

Now if you know me, you know I’m obsessed with knitting. My high school nickname was “Grandma”, because I’d have my needles out and making clinking noises in between classes. It didn’t matter to me that I lived in a tropical climate and had absolutely zero use for knitted clothing and accessories (I know, it was the most useless skill I had), I loved knitting. Now that I actually experience seasons, it has turned into one of the most useful skills I ever acquired. Also, the colder months are upon us and it’s time to bundle up warm and get cozy in our Christmas jumpers. Here are 5 reasons to convince you why knitting is cool and something millennials should get behind. 

1. It’s a super useful skill to have.

I know, I said it already, but here it is again because this is an important point. All you need to know to start is how to knit and purl (the basic stitches in knitting), and repeat that a thousand more times and you have a scarf you can wear every day of the winter. Then you’ll learn a little more stitches and in no time you’ll find yourself churning out hats and socks and sweaters and all manner of things you can wear! 

Also, I learned most of the things I knew about knitting entirely free off the internet (This tutorial from Sheep and Stitch is great!) and simple knitting supplies can be acquired easily from the hundred-yen store, so there’s really no reason not to start! 

2. Your friends and family will be very impressed

You’ll get compliments on that cool knitted piece you’re wearing, then cue some oohs and ahhs when you mention you made it yourself!

“What the heckin’ bob- you made that?!”

3. Knitted gifts are extra meaningful (and practical)

Buying gifts is hard. Especially for people who mean a lot to you. You want to get them something personalised, meaningful, and useful; knitting them something fits into all those categories. There’s a reason why Molly Weasley makes all her children (plus Harry) signature Weasley jumpers – you’ll be giving your loved ones the gift of warmth and coziness and the fact that you made it all yourself makes it all the more special. 

Sweaters for everyone! 

4. It will keep you incredibly warm (and save you some money!) 

I bought a knitted sweater from Gap once and I was freezing on my way to school because cold wind was somehow blowing through the tiny holes of my sweater. Then I went home and checked the label and my ￥7,000 sweater was 80% cotton. So then I went to the craft store and bought 10 balls of wool yarn for 6000¥ and knit a sweater that was 10 times warmer. 

Photo from Unsplash

You could buy that cheap scarf from H&M that’s mostly acrylic, or you could buy some good quality wool yarn and make something you love that is insulating and lasts for years!

5. It’s calming (bye-bye anxiety!) 

Can’t sit still for an extended period of time? Need to do something with your hands while you’re binge-watching TV shows on Netflix? Knitting can be your solution, because it sure is mine. I’ve gone through skeins of yarn just knitting when I’m feeling stressed, or when I just need to do something with my hands. Simply knit one stitch after another, and soon all troubling thoughts melt away and all of a sudden you’re breathing calmer; you even made a cool pair of socks too! 

Inspired to start knitting on your own? Here are some helpful resources to get you started!

• YouTube
• Pinterest
• Ravelry (for knitting patterns)

Already knit? Let me know, let’s stitch and bitch!

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