Knitting in the News: More Knitters, Younger Knitters and it Really is the New Yoga

Sometimes it's hard to see a theme in all the stories about knitting in newspapers around the world, but this week it's pretty simple: more people are knitting, maybe than ever have in recent memory. Yarn stores are reporting more interest in handmade gifts as people are "nesting" and focusing on the handmade.

More young people are knitting these days, too, with clubs cropping up at junior high and high schools, where education (learning about geometry) combines with charity. And knitting in public can spark human connections among strangers, and even across generations, providing plenty of holiday cheer for all.

Finally, you've probably heard more times than you care to remember that knitting is the new yoga, and now even Yoga Journal agrees. The magazine notes that knitting requires gentle focus, like meditation or yoga. It makes you feel more present and connected with the present moment and what's going on around you, and can also be used as a means of cultivating compassion when you knit for others. What the article fails to mention is that yoga can be great for knitters, too, especially focusing on poses that strengthen the wrists and arms.