Knitting assumes that the world is cold (or at least cool)

Knitting assumes hands.

Yarn/thread through proper skill can be fashioned into cloth used for a variety of purposes, even clothing such as the rich scarf which keeps me warm in central PA during the winter.

Knitting assumes hand/eye coordination.

That math holds, for one thing. That order can produce both the practical and the beautiful at once, that patience is possible and worthwhile, that small repetitions can keep you warm, engage the senses, turn string into strength, show love and yield endless variations—a bit like a Bach composition. Lastly, that things made by hand (excluding machine knitting) have a distinct worth and value.

Hmmm.  Knitting assumes . . . Genesis 3:7.  :-)

I like Fred’s comment.

That we ought to be able to make our our clothes, instead of buying them. That we ought to be close to the ground (the sheep behind the yarn).

That the world is not apathetic and is patient.

That garments and other fiber objects made according to the particularities of circumstances, supplies and relationships are worth creating, and produced under conditions whose increase would better the world or be indicative of a better quality of life. What conditions? Say, intimacy, persistance, diligence, collaboration, love, generosity, resourcefulness, creativity, patience, joy in the tactile, and so on. Knitting “fibers” can range quite broadly—from the above-mentioned wool to synthetic materials, bamboo, linen, silk, nettle, and even repurposed plastic bags. Thus, knitting assumes that the world should be a place where even the worthless can be redeemed and made into something useful, beautiful and enduring.

Intergenerational sharing of wisdom. Sometimes it’s a bit much to talk and listen, unless you’re doing something quiet, creative, and repetitive together. Knitting lets you do all that while facing one another.

In the less complicated forms, knitting enables the creation of a craft while you’re chatting with others, listening to music or watching a film.  In contrast to let’s say scrapbooking. ... that is an external observation from one who has never picked it up ;-)

Redemption of time (spent waiting in line, say) and materials. Gifts whose humility is no measure of their preciousness to the recipient (depending somewhat on the circumstances of creation and exchange, that is). The development of patience and skill in almost anyone willing to try and persist long enough. And lastly (having seen a group of co-workers come together to make a cancer hat and patch-work shawl for a woman we’d worked with), community.

knitting makes possible: to give to others, knitted square’s make a blanket, to give to others to keep warm; Knitted hats for neo-natal babies; Knitted Teddies for children who have suffered trauma, brings love, hope, joy and comfort. Makes you think outside your own world

typing. it is very difficult to type at the same time you are knitting.

Lots, anything else you need to do with your hands.

Distraction of certain kinds (I can sometimes read while working simple patterns). Waste (of the materials put to use in a project). And complete freedom—in that knitting requires one’s submission to a particular order and certain instruments or at least shapes for creation (I think I may have once substituted a pencil for a needle I’d lost).

It doesn’t leave your hands free for anything else, so it allows one to focus on the task at hand .. a positive and negative

My daughter is in a knitting club at the high school.

This just a little tidbit I learned from my wife’s Yoruba (W. African language) classes: “Sweater” in Yoruba is súwêtà (sound it out). That’s one of the benefits of being an English colony.

The re-emergence of knitting and similar crafts in a popular manner reflect how many are re-discovering the satisfaction of investing in making something of one’s own versus consuming mass produced clothing and accessories for adult, child, and even one’s favorite doll. ...

A number of people have realized the value of the practice as a quiet, creative outlet which can occur during various social settings (parties, meetings, time with friends etc.).  Knitting clubs appear to be relatively new (joining the ranks of quilting clubs) and at times have shared tasks (e.g., donate clothing for hospital newborns), but for the most part are individual projects with specific end goals that do not demand the others in the room (unlike the quilting clubs which produce a communal product).

Note:  We have friends and family who never lost the practice ;-)

One of collaboration, joy and persistence, but also one that embraces the simplicity and finitude implied by garments and objects made by humans, not machines.