I don't know about you but when I was a little girl, nearly every woman and some men at some stage knitted or crocheted. We always wore garments that were hand knitted especially. There was always knitting and crochet patterns lying around the house. My mother and grandmother would always have knitting on the go in the evenings when they finally sat down to rest.



These garments were then handed down to the next child or pulled apart and reused for the next sweater or cardigan. This of course was when money was scarce and people had big families to clothe. How things have changed. Now days not so many people knit or crochet anymore. Even I who picked up the art of knitting and crochet at an early age do not do this form of craft very much anymore.

Once upon a time we did it because that was the only way we got beautiful warm clothes including socks, scarves, sweaters, dresses, shawls, blankets and so on. These days it can be cheaper to go and buy these items rather than spend big dollars on wool and then all the time knitting or crocheting. In one way it is great because there is so much to choose from in the shops at reasonable prices plus you get it there and then instead of having to wait for it to be finished.

On the down side though we do not always get something that is made very well or made with love. Nor do we take the time to sit and relax, as we always seem to be on the go with one thing or another. It is even daunting just trying to find knitting and crochet patterns anymore where long ago just about every woman's magazine had patterns in them every week.

I must say that I do miss the art of knitting and crochet and sometimes I do some baby clothes but even those are not that popular anymore as toweling jumpsuits and so on are the more popular choices for the modern baby. Matinee jackets, dresses and booties are almost a thing of the past. Babies are just not dressed as babies anymore.

I am just hoping that this is just a fashion trend thing and that one day knitting and crochet will return with gusto and women in particular will pick up a set of needles or a crochet hook and start making handmade garments like it used to be. There will be a problem with it returning though and that is because in my day learning to knit or crochet or even to sew for that matter was taught to you by your mother or grandmother and these days the kids wont have anyone to teach them because their mothers did not learn.

Of course there will always be classes that they can attend but these are far and few between. We really do live in a society of wanting it right here and now and not wanting to put in the effort. Whilst that is the mindset I think knitting and crochet will continue to be a dying art.