Crochet converts show a knack for knitting

HAMBURG: Some knitters spend time searching the Internet for lost edge stitches while others seek instructions for unique creations such as an elephant sweater that has arms that look like the trunk of an elephant. Others watch a DVD to learn how to knit a sock.

In more and more places knitting is catching on. Knitters are meeting regularly in cafes or bars to work on scarves, hats and pot holders together. After years of being dismissed as a dreary activity for housewives, knitting is enjoying a comeback as a hip hobby. Nowadays, it's called needle working and it's being celebrated as the new yoga.

Knitting's path from ecological niche groups into chic shops has been a long one. But fashion as a trend accelerator cleared the way: Knitted pullovers, jackets, scarves and hats are playing an important role again with nearly every designer, and that encourages imitation. At the same time, a woman who makes her own cashmere stole can vouch for its authenticity.

And in an ever-faster and digital world, knitting is exactly the type of activity many people long for, says Oliver Leisse of a trend research institute in Hamburg. Knitting, crocheting and other similar crafts represent a chance to have what these days seems like a luxury: the slow pace of the analogue life. Knitting also has meditative qualities.

"It provides balance to an office job at the computer," says Claudia Herke, another trend researcher from Frankfurt. "There is confirmation in having created something with your own hands."

People used to knit to save money, but that's less of a motivation today. More important is setting oneself off from the masses. "Things you make yourself are individual. They just can't be found in every store," says Herke.

Sigrid Henning, who runs a knitting store in Berlin, says knitting's renewed popularity is a sign that hand crafts have re- established themselves.

"It's no longer corny or bad style, rather it again has a significance," she says. But all the enthusiasm for hand-made crafts, the creations made should not look like they are hand-made, says Angela Probst-Bajak of a local association for hand-made crafts in Karlsruhe.

About 780 million euros ($1.2 billion) is spent in Germany annually on materials for craft making. About 30 percent of the total is spent on yarn. After years of declining interest in knitting and the closure of many shops that specialized in the craft, new stores are opening.

And naturally they are a notch or two more chic than their predecessors. They commonly include space for knitters to meet. While those who pursue the hobby, love the meditative effect of clattering knitting needles, and the exchange of information between like-minded people has become more important.

A look into the Internet conveys the same impression. Knitters find pertinent discussion forums to answer all their questions on the craft and they set up appointments to knit together. Aside from that they can find numerous knitting guides on the Internet. They are often more in style than the examples in knitting magazines and books.

DPA

(China Daily 03/04/2008 page19)