Changes in the Knitting Community
Changes I have noticed since I started knitting 18 years ago
10/6/20254 min read
I have been knitting for about 18 years now, and the knitting community has changed so much since I started! I wanted to take this week to reflect on some of the changes that I’ve witnessed.
The Internet and Ravelry
I had to start here because this is a big one that I will be referencing throughout this post. Ravelry was founded in 2007, right around the time I started learning how to knit, and quickly became a total game-changer for the knitting community. 18 years later, it is still a central hub for knitters and crocheters to share and connect. While it is a great source of patterns, that is just the tip of the iceberg of what makes up the website. There are groups, forums, project pages, and yarn information. Knitters can reach out to designers directly for help, and designers can find test knitters and tech editors to finish their patterns. For those who may not know, I learned how to knit on the internet, largely from patterns I found on Ravelry, and I unknowingly twisted all my stitches for YEARS. It was actually someone on a Ravelry forum who pointed out my mistake to me. Having this kind of community connection has been an invaluable source of learning for knitters of all skill levels.
The internet doesn’t stop at Ravelry, though, and there is a wealth of information thanks to YouTube channels, podcasts, and blogs (like this one). YouTube is filled with tutorials on just about any knitting technique on the planet, and is my go-to source for learning new things. Social media has also changed how we share our projects. My personal Instagram feed is full of knitters sharing tips, tricks, WIPs (works in progress), and FOs (finished objects), and I absolutely love seeing everyone’s creativity. Even when people use a particular pattern for their projects, each one is unique due to yarn choice, modifications, and sometimes even interesting “mistakes” that become features.
Accessibility and Inclusivity
Having resources online has made knitting more accessible than ever to people around the world. Anyone with basic yarn, needles, and an internet connection can learn the basics of how to knit and get started very quickly. I have noticed a trend recently that more and more designers are writing their patterns in a way that can be read by screen readers and offering simple dark fonts to be more accessible for visually impaired knitters. There are even courses now available to help designers increase the accessibility of their patterns.
Another trend I’ve noticed just in the last few years is greater size inclusivity. As a plus-size person myself, I have felt excluded from so many garment patterns for a long time, and lately I’ve been seeing more and more patterns that even go up 2-3 sizes bigger than me. This is a fantastic shift, and I hope the conversations around size inclusivity go even further in the future.
Traditionally, people of many demographics have enjoyed knitting around the world, but in the last 100-150 years or so, knitting has become seen as a “grandma” activity, primarily done by white women. Why that is could be an entire blog post on its own, but I have noticed a shift in the last few years about this as well. I am seeing more young people, queer people, BIPOC, and men knitting, and I love seeing more diversity in our community. With this has come more conversations about cultural appreciation vs appropriation, which I think is important to consider. I talked about this in my blog post on knitting ethics here.
Knitting Trends
Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of knitting trends come and go, some of which probably shouldn’t have become popular in the first place, in my humble opinion. I felt personally victimized by the ruffle yarn fad; I bought quite a bit with big plans that I never ended up liking. Yarns like ruffle yarn, fun fur/eyelash yarn, and ribbon yarn have their place, just no longer in my own stash! I have enjoyed many other trends and innovations in colorwork and textures, and who doesn’t like a good scrappy project to use up your stash? There has been a rise in more complex techniques, such as brioche, which will always be a personal favorite. I hope that Portuguese knitting gets more popular, as I really love this style of knitting. I honestly can’t wait to see what the next big trend will be!
The Business of Knitting
The business of knitting has seen many changes over the years. With the rise of Ravelry, Etsy, and craft fairs, many people make a living by selling their knits. Indie yarn dyers and designers have also found their way to sell what they make. Pricing of patterns has certainly gone up, but with good reason. People seem more willing to pay designers more for the quality work they put out. The LYS (local yarn shop) culture has definitely changed as well. Many have had to close, especially since the pandemic hit in 2020. Others are still thriving by focusing on building community.
Community Culture
Even outside of Ravelry, there has been a huge shift towards online spaces and events for knitters. KALs and knitting challenges are often held online now for global participation. I have participated in a few KALs and you can read my blog post about them here. Many online communities have sprung up, especially since the pandemic started. I stream knitting on Twitch and have found an excellent little makers and crafting community there, and pretty much every streamer and designer has their own Discord server (you can join mine here). Zoom knit nights have become very common as well. Some groups have started meeting in person again, but they seem much less common than they were before 2020. Many fiber festivals and similar events moved online during the pandemic and are slowly going back in hosting in-person. Online summits are popping up several times a year now, and are growing in popularity.
I’m excited to see what changes will come up in the knitting community in the next 18 years. I hope you’ll join me in creating an even more diverse and inclusive community for knitters everywhere. As usual, you can use the form below to email me if you have any questions or comments. Happy stitching!
