My 13yo made this special hat for the little girl in the picture.

She has been knitting since she was eleven years old. Her favorite projects are hats and scarves made from soft, fuzzy yarn in colors that she picks specifically for each recipient of her gifts. No, she doesn’t knit for herself. She knits for her friends. She knits because she finds as much joy in the giving of the gift as she does in the process of making it.

I confess that I am a bit jealous that she has uncovered her hidden art at such a young age. But, I would venture a guess that this one may take a back burner someday while others come to the forefront to be developed and enjoyed.

Knitting and crocheting are hidden arts that have been around for a long, long time. Even when color isn’t used, knitters throughout time have come up with intricate, original patterns that make even the scroogiest person sit up and take notice.

I’ve been meaning to post some knitting projects for a while now. Of course, this isn’t one of MY hidden arts, so the lovely projects you see below were made by my imaginary friends. My 13yo is a knitter. She learned to knit from my youngest sister. Unfortunately, I don’t have pictures of their projects. Yet. I’ll be working on that! In the meantime, enjoy today’s selections.

Lori made this adorable hat for her dd. It is too precious!

Kelly has a house full of boys, but that didn’t keep her hidden art suppressed. This is a baby blanket she made recently. She has a couple of other pictures on her blog.

I love the bold colors and the silky feel of sock yarn. My sister is learning how to knit socks and I am living vacariously through her. Somehow I don’t think it would be prudent for me to pick up a set of those complicated sock needles and learn how to knit. Yet, that’s the project that interests me most. A conundrum for sure. The desire to knit socks is almost a year old and started growing when my friend (who I actually have met in real life) Lora posted pictures of her sock adventure on her blog.

My favorite pair are the colorful ones at the top. Who wouldn’t want to wear a pair of socks handmade by someone they love?

Personally, one of these days I may learn to knit cotton washcloths. I love the colors available at the yarn shop in Town and my own Walmart specials are getting a bit ragged looking. Unfortunately, buying washcloths in colors that aren’t all the rage at discount houses is nearly impossible. My only fear is that I will have to set aside one of my other hidden arts to make room for knitting… there IS only so much time in one day!