By Meghan Streit and Julia Boyle
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Knitting is a common hobby of older women, many of whom learned from their mothers, grandmothers, or in home economics classes.

But as the need for and appeal of homemade clothing subsided, a generation of women who no longer knew how to knit emerged.

Changing trade
Over the last decade or so, knitting and other fiber arts have gained popularity among younger women, who are drawn to the hobby because of the escape it provides from their hectic lives and the ability it gives them to craft unique handmade clothing.

Once strictly regarded as a province of grandmothers knitting pastel baby  booties, knitting is now an increasingly common pastime of trendy 20- and 30-somethings who make colorful sweaters, hats, and scarves in a variety of styles.

The ‘hip’ factor
“I think you’ve seen that manufacturers have responded to the age factor, trying to attract customers with the things they’re offering,” says Louise Giddings, a member of the intergenerational Shore Fiber Arts Guild of Oakhurst. 

“Manufacturers are making a lot of fun, funky yarns and designing tools and patterns that young people can do in a hurry,” she says.

She also suspects that trends skip generations, which explains why today’s grandmothers and their grandchildren are more likely to knit than the mothers in between. “What your parents do isn’t very cool,” she says with a laugh.

The transformation of knitting from an antiquated handicraft to a hip hobby has given way to a slew of yarn and knitting supply shops that resemble stylish urban boutiques.

The Wooley Monmouth, a knitting store in Redbank, not only sells a stunning array of yarns and patterns but also provides classes and private lessons where people can learn the basics or master new techniques.