Advantages:
- The equipment needed to get started is extremely minimal and easily available (2 pointed sticks and some yarn.)
- There’s virtually no mess and no set up and take down time required.
- You can do it almost anywhere. It’s quiet and you can do other things (like listen to the radio, podcasts, tv, or movies at the same time. Some people can walk or read at the same time that they knit!)
- It can be done in a relaxing position, sitting back in a chair or even lying in bed (unlike say machine sewing, which requires hunching over a machine.
- Unlike say crossword puzzles or Sudoku, you have a useful product when you’re done.
- It can be quite simple (a garter stitch scarf) or extremely complex (a lace shawl or complex cabled sweater).
- If it’s simple, it’s very meditative.
- It’s it’s more complex, it challenges your mind and keeps you sharp and focused.
- If you make a mistake, you can rip it out and re-use the same materials over again (unlike cutting into apiece of wood or fabric.)
- If you have enough knitted things, you can knit for charity.
- You can do it with knitting friends in a social setting or you can do it alone. No specific number of people is needed.
- You can do it rain or shine. Some people can knit in the dark, so even if the power goes out, you can keep yourself occupied. (I use a headlamp in that case.)
- Children can learn, and people into their 90s can still do it.
- You can make clothing or other items to fit your exact size and shape.
- Even when you’re using a pattern, you add your own creativity in choosing the color and the exact yarn.
- You don’t get bored in places where you have to wait—the doctor’s office, an airport, an airplane even, are great for knitting.
- Even if you don’t feel at your best, you can probably still enjoy knitting.
Disadvantages:
- It doesn’t burn very many calories.
