Doesn't Knitting Make You Feel Old?

My hair stylist asked me if knitting made me feel old when I first started bringing in my knitting to do while my color baked onto my extremely difficult (but patchy) gray hairs.

I was sort of taken aback by the question. I don't think my stylist was trying to be rude. Upon further discussion, she declared that she was interested in learning but didn't want to seem like an old lady. I was rather surprised. I'm the kind of girl who does what she wants (as my sister and husband can attest) without worrying too much about what others think so I never really thought that all knitters were old.

The discussion took me back to the Yarn Harlot's visit to Portland, OR. There were a horde of knitters and other yarn artists in the room. As she spoke you could hear needles clacking away and the slide of yarn from bags and baskets. Some were even spinning with drop spindles. All sorts of people attended her lecture: young, old, dark, pale, male, and female. It was an odd conglomeration of people who looked like they should have nothing in common. Yet there we were chatting, laughing, comparing projects, and generally thinking "here are some awesome people with whom I would hang out!" I didn't really notice, maybe because I wasn't really paying attention, that an overwhelming number of attendees were "old". So what age group actually knits?

The US Census Bureau doesn't consider this an important question on the census. However, The National NeedleArts Association (TNNA) did as shown in their The State of Specialty NeedleArts 2007. Apparently "knitting has the highest percentage of participants under 40 and is especially popular with those in their 20s." Proof that knitting is not just for old people. In fact, many of my friends do yarn art and they range in age from 11 to 80.

So if I don't knit to feel old, why do I knit? Knitting makes me feel relaxed and productive. Knitting offers me a chance to challenge myself in ways that I wouldn't otherwise be challenged and to create objects that no amount of money could buy on the mass market. Knitting gives me the ability to create gifts for people who have the money to buy whatever they want or who want something comforting that I created. Knitting is an outlet for me to contribute to charity. Knitting gives me access to a huge, normally untapped, community of people with a common interest. For the sake of the mental, emotional and friendship benefits, I knit.