I believe that learning to knit is one my greatest skills. When I learned to knit, I gave myself a great gift. I learned not only an amazing technique for managing stress, anxiousness and depression, but I also grew my confidence the more I practiced.
Knitting inspires me daily. It pushes me to grow and to
I believe that learning to knit is one my greatest skills. When I learned to knit, I gave myself a great gift. I learned not only an amazing technique for managing stress, anxiousness and depression, but I also grew my confidence the more I practiced.
Knitting inspires me daily. It pushes me to grow and to try things I didn’t even think possible. I make fabric with my hand and needles. Sometimes it comes out as a perfect sweater and sometimes I need to frog the hat I’m making because I didn’t check my gauge. That takes some amazing skills. Not everyone can do that!
To my friends and family I am known as the “one who knits” and I wear this label with so much pride and honor. I do knit! A lot! But, it is so much more than yarn and stitches. Knitting to me is everything from a sacred ritual to something I do to pass time when I’m bored. Knitting inspires me, but what I really hope is that my knitting inspires and helps others as well.
When I knit, a part of my heart and soul goes into each stitch. My projects are knit with love and I hope the recipient of my items feels loved and like they matter. I hope they feel knit worthy because I chose to spend many hours making something just for them. I hope my knitting keeps a people warm, dry and cozy, but also I hope it makes their day just a little bit better and brighter.
When I choose to share my skills and my finish projects with people, it is so much more than just an item. It really is an extension of myself.
On the flip side of this, we as knitters all know someone who doesn’t fully understand the work that goes into hand-knit items. They don’t understand the process, the time, effort and the love. These people come off ungrateful and unappreciative of such an amazing item. Many would label these people “unworthy” of knit gifts, but I don’t feel that way. Even if they don’t appreciate the present, I still had an amazing time knitting it. Those projects still made an impact even if the impact was only on me. It was not wasted time or wasted stiches. I knit something and to me that IS a success, no matter how the item is received by its new owner. My hope is one day, they will need a hat, and there will be one waiting for them in the back of their closet because I made one for them. But, if that day never comes, I am completely okay with that. I hope my knitting teaches people compassion for those who “just don’t get it.”
I hope my knitting becomes multi-generational. How many of us have knitting history in our family? Memories of parents or grandparents knitting that are locked away in our minds. I would love to one day pass on my knowledge to a willing pair of hands, but whether that’s my children, grandchildren or even a friend, I am always happy to share my gift.
To a lot of us, watching a grandmother, mother or aunt knit represents comfort. We have fond memories of them in a cozy chair stitching away. We treasure th
eir creations like they are a family heirloom. We remember our childhood red scarf and grandma’s famous slipper pattern. I aim to make my knitted memories the same. I am a mother of two young children. I want them to remember colorful mittens, fun sweaters and warm blankets. I hope they treasure these items and the memories behind them. I hope my knitting bring them comfort.
As a mother though, I want to show them so much more than how to knit a sock. I want to teach my children that creativity matters. If they choose to knit, I will gladly teach them my ways and buy them amazing yarn, but if they choose to explore their creativity other ways, I will be equally enthusiastic.
I hope they are inspired by watching me do something I love and that they see the confidence building, the problem solving and the stress management that knitting provides. When they grow up, I want them to be filled with fond memories of me, my knitting and my yarn. I want them to remember everything, from cuddles on the couch while I knit them a new winter hat, to throwing snowballs at Dad with mittens knit to fit their little hands perfectly.
Today, we live in a fast-paced world of technology and on-demand everything, but knitting gives us the power to slow it all down, if only for a moment – and that’s okay. In this day and age I hope my children realize that the best things in life don’t always require an internet connection. Sometimes, all you need is some yarn and two pointy sticks to make a memory that will last a lifetime.
Ashlee Lackovic is a knit designer who lives in the snowy mountains of British Columbia, Canada. She started designing as an independent designer on Ravelry in 2013 after realizing she was truly obsessed with all things knit. She can become inspired by literally anything but, particularly enjoys bright fun colours and unusual stitch combinations. You can find more about her on blog at www.smashleestitches.wordpress.com.