Why Knitting is the Ultimate Budget Hobby

Posted on January 26, 2012 10 Comments

My first cable knit attempt

For a lot of people, knitting conjures up images of old fashioned grandmas and great aunts. I can say this with confidence because I knit on the train while commuting to and from work, and women frequently stop me to ask me what I’m knitting, then tell me that their grandmother was a fabulous knitter but they never bothered to learn.

I really enjoy these conversations, because they usually end with me saying “I taught myself. It’s so easy.”

I’m really proud of my knitting. And for people trying to save money, I think it’s the ultimate hobby. I should know, because I have a lot of hobbies. Back in 2006, I started thinking about how to curb my cravings to shop. Taking up hobbies was a key part of that strategy. Since then I’ve taken up knitting, photography, running, doing triathlons, and playing guitar (that one is still majorly in the works). On top of the blogging, traveling, baking, and my penchant for reading, that is. All which has worked fabulously well to curb the urge to spend. I don’t have time to browse fashion web sites, keep up with the latest “It Girl” bag, or attend fashion shows. I work out six days a week, and spread the rest of the hobbies out throughout the month.

Over the past several years, I’ve found that some hobbies are more expensive than others, requiring pricey gear, classes or lessons, registration fees, plane tickets, and more. But when it comes to the frugal lifestyle, in my opinion one hobby rises above the rest: knitting. And here’s why:

• It’s cheap! A starter investment is two balls of yarn, which you can get for under $4 each, a set of knitting needles, available for about $3, and maybe a knitting how-to book, prices vary. You can also just ask someone to get you started and then rely on YouTube for the rest, which is how I got my aunt started.
• It stays cheap! With something like running, you start with a pair of running shoes, but then can the hobby quickly become more expensive when you include race fees, technical gear, and more. (Admittedly unnecessary but I find it helpful to stay motivated.) With knitting, all you will ever need, for the most part, is a ball of yarn and needles. You can try more challenging stitches, new patterns, and get as creative as you want. There’s no limit to what you can knit or crochet. And there are a ton of free patterns out there, for instance, on Ravelry.
• It’s sustainable. If you don’t want to buy yarn, you can actually ‘upcycle’ yarn from old stuff. My friend’s mom, for instance, sells knit baby toys made of yarn from old sweaters. I also met a cool girl on the train once who said she used old T-shirts to make her material for knitting.
  

  My nephew, trying to eat his Christmas gift

• It makes really special gifts. I made my nephew a hand-knitted baby blanket for Christmas. I had worked on it all summer, and put a lot of love into it, and he responded lovingly by eating it (see photo).
• You can sell your merchandise. One day, I’ll have an Etsy store. Until then, I can browse the merchandise for pricing. And Pinterest for ideas.
• It’s totally hipster. I opened by talking about how knitting reminds people of grandmas. And don’t get me wrong, I love hanging with seniors and really wish my grandmothers were still alive. I miss them every day. But more and more, young urban ladies are taking up the hobby. It’s a trend I’ve also noticed on public transportation, and I love when I can “talk shop” with people my age. (I’m sure there are demographics somewhere to support this…)
• And finally, you can give back by knitting. There are plenty of ways to give back to the sick, the elderly, and the poor through knitting.  I recently came across the Knit-A-Square project, which helps impoverished communities in Africa by stitching together blankets made from squares knitted all across the world. There are loads more, like The Red Square Project and Warm Up America.

Category: Life
   Tags: hobbies

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