Historically, Knitting seems to have been more a challenge or a necessity than a delight: it would have been a rare aspiring Guild member working on something intricate and complicated with some seemingly impossible deadline who stopped for a moment and thought, "Whoa, this sure is fun." A family knitting sweaters for its fisherman with a distinct identifying pattern should he be lost at sea; a mother trying to keep up with socks and sweaters for a growing family, not to mention a chill-chasing shawl for herself; women knitting for sons and husbands and strangers in the War Effort; people anywhere, anytime knitting something to be offered for sale; people knitting something to be given as a gift……….more likely to be stressful than relaxing.
We now have more of an opportunity to knit for pure pleasure……. to experiment with the adventure of slow knitting where the process is focused upon and the product allowed to happen. To knit for self/Self. To wake up in the morning and have something on the needles that truly gives us joy so that we think of it and look forward to having it part of the coming day.
There is no right or wrong way to Knit Playfully. There are no ‘shoulds’. It’s play! And since it involves Knitting and some implements are required, the choice of these can influence the experience. A nice fibre for a start; whatever thinks good and feels good. Maybe it’s time to get out that one saved and cherished ball in the stash or make a special trip to the LYS. (It took me awhile to figure out that this means Local Yarn Store: seems new Knitting Knowledge ought to be automatic amongst the clan!). Treat yourself. The dividends will reflect the expenditure: the benefits will outweigh the costs: trust me. And do the same with knitting needles. With such a variety now available it is worthwhile to give them all a ‘test drive’ – this is one of the benefits of knitting friends, knitting Guilds, knitting cafe’s!
Tools assembled. Just start. There’s no gauge. No pattern. Cast on some stitches. If, by chance, you have chosen teeny needles and big thick wool – well – go for it. See what happens. If it doesn’t feel good – choose again.
There are only two stitches, the knit and purl. So, knit and purl. Or just knit. Or purl. Drop some stitches if you want, on purpose, and let them ladder. Cast off in mid row. Or cast on. Or knit plain back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. If it seems silly, well, now you know what it feels like to "knit silly." Or you may have a huge sigh and "why-didn’t-I-let-this-happen-sooner" moment. And find that this attitude can prevail with whatever is on the needles.