December is the perfect month to get your knit on. Not only can you whip up draft stoppers for your wrists, neck and freezing feet, but you’re also just in time to knock out a few holiday gifts. Gift-giving takes on a whole new dimension when you take the time to knit a little number for someone you love. I just spent Thanksgiving with my great mate Finola Hughes (a G.G. guest blogger,) and her family, on their stunning farm, which is surrounded by organic gardens and an incredible variety of fruit trees. With six kids total, two unruly dogs and 12 even more unruly adults, the holiday was filled with fun and utter chaos. Finola and I managed to grab a few precious moments of absolute peace by virtue of the fact that we’re both knitting freaks. Reaching for our needles, like addicts for chocolate, we snuck in a few rows and in the process were able to breathe and actually give Thanks. Knitting is a form of meditation. Focusing on the tiny stitches allows the mind to slow down enough for moments of stillness to peek through our manic thoughts. Creating cozy gloves, hats and scarves out of impossibly soft yarn takes nurturing to a whole new level. 
My eight-year old daughter has just learned to knit too. I watched her this morning humming away as she painstakingly knit a row of her periwinkle blue organic yarn from my favorite online knitting store, Eco Butterfly which specializes in to-die-for organic, Fair-trade and vegan yarns.
Knitting is similar to yoga in that once you’ve mastered the art of a new stitch or asana, you can practice it while allowing your mind to soar. The physical practice keeps you grounded and slows your thought waves down enough to nudge you into an extremlely pleasureable state of mind. The added bonus is that you get to create something quite wonderful with either practice – regular yoga creates a beautifully supple body and mind, and regular knitting can enable you to tick almost everybody off your holiday list.
If you’ve already got your holiday presents sorted, but want to get knitting, why not knit something for a child in need. The two organizations I love are Afgans for Afgans and The Linus Project. The former gets warm knitwear to beleagured children in Afganistan and the latter gets hand-knitted blankets to seriously sick and traumatized children. Knitting is about giving, so December is the perfect month to invest in a pair of bamboo needles and some eco-friendly yarn.
I never quite got the hang of knitting.
i never got fancy with knitting and can’t follow patterns. so i just make baby blankets for the ICUs around town. they always love em.
I LOVE knitting. I’m currently teaching a beginner’s knitting class for adults and hope to start one soon for children. I am going to check out Eco Butterfly right now.
I absolutely LOVE knitting…I can’t stop…every spare moment. I made “fingerless mitts” for all the “girls” on my Christmas list and I am knitting hats for the guys. We have a family project of making our own natural soaps with essential oil scents so those are a holiday gift favorite and now I am knitting organic cotton washclothes to package with our soaps. Knitting is a form of moving meditation for many…I am one of them!