Dan's Papers - December 21, 2007

This has got to be the season of the knitted sweater. Never before have so many knitted dresses, sweaters, coats and even bags been shown in all the major department stores. If you knit yourself, you are fortunate - you will be able to whip up the falls latest fashions with the least amount of effort.

Knitting has been around for ions, men used to belly up to the bars in Ireland and Scotland with their knitting needles in their pockets. They would make their own Irish knit sweaters or even the nets for their boats. It was not considered a feminine craft and they truly enjoyed this pastime. In fact, knitting can be traced back to 100 BC in pre-Columbian Peru by the Nazca culture. Other early examples of knitting, in 200 AD were found near the Eurphrates River, sandal socks from Saudi Arabia in the 4th century and some socks and other items have been found in Egyptian burial tombs. The popular and oldest form of knitting was called the Crossed Knit, in which the stitches, instead of aligning vertically, were rotated a half turn. To find out more about men knitting visit www.menknit.com. You will find vintage photos of men knitting and books that are available for purchase.

Today's teens are taking a genuine interest in knitting and are signing up for classes nationwide. A visit to any of the stores that are hounded by kids show these great knits.

A trip into an Urban Outfitters store shows rows of sweaters that look convincingly homemade. Knit scarves in the neatest yarns line the racks, and they are long. Gloves that have their missing fingers and gloves that cover the arms are flying out the door. Hobo type bags have some leather trim but are predominately knit into fashionable cables and popcorn stitches.

Stella McCartney has created and transformed a basic cardigan into a sharp, trendy mini dress. Other designers have hopped on the bandwagon, mixing knits into their lighter blended materials.

Learning to knit has never been easier. Michaels, the craft giant, has a wonderful selection of books, needles and yarn. But if you want to really get into it, go online. Huge selections of the finest of yarns in the most magnificent colors and types are readily available with a simple search on Google. You can find groups springing up every day that have round table knitting classes. Try contacting your local library and see if one is already in progress. Most groups are more than willing to help a novice get going. There are groups that knit baby blankets for hospital nurseries and are always looking for new hands. New moms get to take one home along with a little head warmer for their infant. Some groups found online make a community blanket, whereas each knitter knits one block and then joins them at the end. They can be raffled off for benefits or donated to hospitals.

Making your own knitting designs is most satisfying and nothing brings out your creative spirit more than wearing your own creation. Start now and you can have several of your articles ready in time for gift giving for the holidays.