In a meeting room nestled on the grounds of the Marin Art and Garden Center, 10 women click knitting needles together and apart, talking about family and favorite libraries while stitching baby sweaters and market bags.
This scene is a regular meetup led by Chiaki Hayashi, a designer with more than 20 years experience teaching knitting in the Bay Area. Different from a prescriptive, step-by-step instruction that one might expect from a class, these sessions are two hours of professional guidance as attendees work independently, receive help and chat over their projects. It’s BYOY here: Bring your own yarn.
Lessons like these are just one example of the rich community centered around knitting and other crafts in Marin. Social groups, yarn stores and classes all draw knitters, creating a locus of interaction for an otherwise solitary hobby.
Who are they?
Knitters sometimes get stereotyped as grandmas — perhaps a testament to the common experience of learning the craft from mothers, grandmothers or other early influences. But if knitting is for grandmas, then it’s also for grandpas, aunts, uncles, parents, siblings, grandsons and granddaughters.
The majority of knitters are women, but the craft welcomes all genders. Estimates of men in the craft range from 5% to 29%, and prominent male knitters can be seen across social media. British diver Tom Daley, for one, garnered attention for stitching Union Jack-emblazoned projects on the sidelines at the Tokyo Olympics.
A rich online community has introduced knitting to a new generation of crafters, who just as likely learn from YouTube as they might a book. As of writing, the hashtag #knitting is attached to 26.9 million posts on Instagram, and social media offers a platform for “knitfluencers” to share their projects.
Like with many subcultures, inside jokes and specialized lingo proliferate. There are superstitions like the “sweater curse,” which warns that making a sweater for a significant other will doom the relationship. Viral trends like a patchwork Harry Styles cardigan sweep sites like the pattern-sharing website Ravelry.
Many knitters participate in other crafts as well, like crochet, sewing or quilting, but knitting remains a consistently popular and meaningful craft.
“They see it as part of their identity,” says Karen Arko, who has worked at the San Rafael fiber arts store Dharma Trading Co. since the 1980s. “They don’t feel complete if they’re not knitting stuff.”
What do they do?
Some folks knit with just their fingers, but the conventional style involves using two straight needles to build rows of interconnected loops. The building blocks of the craft are the “knit” and “purl” stitches, plus the “yarn over” when wrapping yarn around the needle.
Though every knit piece is composed of these building blocks, it’s a remarkable vehicle for expression. Different techniques create complex variations, like twisting stitches for a cable-knit sweater. And beyond the typical wooly socks and fluffy hats, knitters can create art pieces. Knitters have their own form of graffiti called yarn bombing, when they covertly decorate a public fixture with knit or crochet fabric.
Many knitters consult patterns — written or illustrated instructions — to create pieces. But, plenty of them design their own patterns, or are skilled enough to make it up on the fly. The aforementioned site Ravelry hosts a repository of over a million patterns, uploaded by a community of nine million users.
Why do they do it?
The functional uses of knitting are clear: Knitting makes clothes. Humans wear clothes. But the layers of the craft’s usefulness extend beyond necessity.
Multiple studies and surveys have recorded health benefits associated with knitting and crochet. An article in the New York Times compiled research on this topic, noting benefits like stress relief and symptom improvements among people suffering from anorexia nervosa, insomnia and chronic pain.
Once a beginner gets over an initial learning curve, the steady progression of a project has a meditative effect. Plus, there’s the pride of making something with your hands.
“It kind of feels the same as when you do gardening,” says Hayashi. “It’s a slow pace, but you create something on your own.”
Attendees of Hayashi’s class at MAGC talk about bonding over their shared passion, with some members sharing a group chat to stay connected between meetings. The class becomes a social occasion, as well as an opportunity to hone their craft.
Where are they found?
Given the craft’s portability, folks can knit just about anywhere: on the bus, in lecture halls, living rooms or any place where they can move their needles.
Lita Zigounakis facilitates the Fabric and Fiber Makers’ Club at Fairfax Library, where community members from around Marin come together to work on a variety of crafts. “I think this is a really nice place for women to get together, and be encouraged and supported in their projects,” says Zigounakis.
Yarn stores also serve as a nexus of knitting communities. Dharma Trading Co. hosts drop-in hours to get help, and Atelier Marin conducts classes for folks looking to begin knitting or to expand their skills. And festivals like Bay Area Yarn Crawl or the Lambtown Festival in Dixon, draw crafters from all over.
“Knitting is a source of community and friendship in a way that’s difficult to replicate in life,” says Allison Johns of Sonoma, one of the students in Hayashi’s class.
Even though knitting is an individual craft, it’s anything but lonely.
Don’t get it twisted! The differences between knit and crochet:
Crochet:
- Uses one hook
- Worked one stitch at a time
- Creates a denser, sturdy fabric
Knit:
- Uses 2+ needles
- Worked in rows, with multiple loops on needle
- Creates a smoother, stretchy fabric
Fun fact: Machine knitting is incredibly common, but it’s impossible to crochet by machine. If you see a “crochet” garment in a fast-fashion shop, look closely: In many cases, it will be a machine knit made to look like crochet.
Knitting Resources:
Marin Knitting Groups
Marin Knitters Guild, marinknittersguild.org
Fabric and Fiber Makers Club, Fairfax Library, marinlibrary.org
Knitfest, Novato, marinlibrary.org
Makers Monday, Point Reyes Library, marinlibrary.org
Beginner Knitting & Knitting at the Garden with Chiaki, maringarden.org, plus patterns on her website.
Local Yarn Stores
Dharma Trading Co., San Rafael
Atelier Yarns Marin, San Rafael, atelieryarns.com
Fiber Circle Studio, Petaluma, fibercirclestudio.com
