Knitting and Walking

You don’t have to sit to knit. When people think of knitters, they might think of an older

woman sitting in her rocker for hours with needles in her hands looking down at her

work.

Really? No way… we knitters never get older than 29!

Knitters are energetic and do lots of things other than sitting in rocking chairs. We are

active and want to stay healthy so we can keep doing more.

Knitting while walking seems to be a new thing. Not many knitters have thought of

knitting while walking or being able to focus on a pattern while doing another chore. But

in fact, knitting while sitting is not a new way to knit it’s been around for centuries. Historically,

knitting was done while walking to and from places. Knitting was also part of what

people did while working or doing other chores. Shepherds would knit while tending their

flocks. Farmers would knit while plowing their fields. Women would knit while doing many tasks as

homemakers and mothers. Maybe they knew what we forgot…humans are made to move. Sitting

for long periods of time is not healthy. What was old then, knitting while walking, is now new again.

Knitters are posting about knitting walks and how it improves their health and gives them time to

add more knitting to their day. A knitting student recently told me that she follows an avid knit walker,

Drea Renee Knits So I looked her up and Drea Renee not only walks while knitting, but she also

films herself and talks about knitting all at the same time. In her July newsletter she gave some of

her favorite tips for taking knitting and walking.

Making tools for walking while knitting isn’t a new thing either. During the 18 th century knitters

devised tools to hold their needles and projects while they moved. They learned to not look directly

at their knitting but used their hands, that would otherwise be idle, to do the knitting.

Today you can get a Knit Fit Kit from Knit Fit, a group of dedicated crafters who are

committed to keeping fit as they knit. They have designed a project bag for knitters that

comes with an instructional guide with sample patterns and tips to get you started. Find

Every morning, I walk and thanks to my student Jenni bringing knitting walks to my

attention, I decided to start knitting while walking. I had read about it in Carson

Demers, book “Knitting Comfortably” He talks about knitting a swatch to help you learn

to knit without looking at your work. You don’t have to worry about making a mistake

when you knit a swatch and you’ll learn to trust that your hands know what they’re

doing. This will push you out of your comfort zone, but it’s useful and will improve your

knitting skills.

Trying new ways of knitting is an adventure and keeps you learning and growing. I

really like it. I can get my walk in and still find time for knitting.

If you need some support and want to learn more join me in my Keep Moving

Membership and take some knitting walks with me. It’s fun and gets you outside and

moving.

Join me here in Keep Moving Membership:

Thank you,

Pam

James StokesMay 1, 2024