As small boy I remember well my mother knitting every evening and she is still at it even though she is now 85 years old. I have always though of knitting as a dying art.... but not so according to the latest research.
Knitting craft in North America has now grown into a $1 billion business
Once thought of as a hobby practiced only by elderly women, knitting is attracting enthusiasts of all ages and creating a boom for the fiber art world.
The number of independent yarn stores has shot up to more than 3,000 from 1,200
That's good news for the world of knitters, now known in some circles as ''fiber artists.'' It's a world that has grown substantially in the past 10 years, so much so that last year it became a $1 billion business.
Sales of yarn, needles and patterns have more than doubled in the last decade, the Gastonia, N.C.-based Craft Yarn Council of America estimates.
The craft is drawing a host of new aficionados of all ages mostly women, but some men who are experiencing the joys of turning out everything from designer-style knitted handbags to bar-stool covers. And they're ready to spend money to pursue their passion.
Michelle Schaup, 30, who took up knitting two years ago, readily admits to her knitting addiction and her current love affair with baby alpaca yarn at $13 a skein. She's made four blankets since December and recently made six hats.
Knitting isn't about making something yourself to save money. A skein of yarn can cost $50 and more, and it can take six to make a sweater. A poncho kit is priced at $250
Mary Colucci, the Craft Yarn Council's executive director, says the excitement generated by highly textured fashion yarns, coupled with consumers' desire to create something handmade , has fueled knitting's resurgence.
An estimated 53 million Americans know how to knit or crochet, up from 35 million in 1994, she said.
It is more trendy than it used to be. A lot of the celebrities now are knitting. That is always a draw to the regular consumer.
Star knitters include Julia Roberts, Madonna, Cameron Diaz and Sarah Jessica Parker.
They're part of a cultural change that has seen knitting's place on the A-list solidified by television shows on the DIY cable television network and another debuting next month on Oxygen.
And a new knitting magazine geared to 18-to-35-year-olds, knit.1, debuted last year.
These are all excellent indicators for the alpaca fiber market in North America.
Adrian Stewart
