Why bother with knitting?

I've often met with derision when I've revealed my dastardly secret - that I am, in fact, a closet knitter. The shame of it! People often ask me: "why knit, when you can buy sweaters, cardigans, etc, in any clothing store?" To that, I say, "why the heck not?"

Far from being naff or old-fashioned, knitting is actually very cool and funky. There's something magical about starting off with nothing except a pair of knitting needles, some yarn, and a pattern, and ending up with a finished garment within a few hours or days. The craft of knitting may be ancient, but with today's huge variety of yarns, patterns and tools, you can create garments that wouldn't look out of place at the latest fashion shows.

Knitting is not just a pleasurable and relaxing pastime, but a very useful skill to have. There's something very special about creating, giving and receiving a well-crafted, hand-knitted gift. Knitwear is expensive to buy, and let's just face it - most shop-bought knitwear looks the same. With a little practice, patterns can be adapted to create original garments - even if you just try it out in a different yarn or turn a single-colour garment into a striped one. If knitwear's not your thing, you can create beautiful, handcrafted soft furnishings for your home: cushions, bedspreads, throws, afghans, rugs - the list is endless.

So what are you knitting today?