Knitting is a craft that has been used to created stretchy fabric for millennia. We know that hand knitting has been around for this long because knitted cotton socks were found in an ancient landfill in Egypt that date back to 300AD. So 1,700 years ago, people enjoyed wearing colorful, stripey, hand knitted socks just as much as people do today. But nowadays, many people enjoy both knitting and getting tattoos, and some of them have chosen to get tattoos that celebrate their love of knitting.
Knitted tattoos let you wear your knitting in your skin, not on it
Knitting is the action of turning a long string of yarn into a fabric that is then worn on the skin, to keep the body warm and of course, to look and feel fabulous in the stretchy material. By getting a tattoo of knitted fabric, you can wear your knitting in your skin, not on it. Because a lot of knit garments are very colorful, knit tattoos are often colorful too, and the tattoo artist can pack the tattoo design full of interesting knitting stitch patterns, yarn textures and colors. Adding in other imagery can add to the symbolism of the tattoo design with symbols like hearts for love or flowers for abundance and new beginnings. A knitting tattoo can also be a kind of permanent badge that signals to the world, and other knitters, that the tattoo owner is a knitting fanatic.
Knitting tattoos as part of a healthy lifestyle
According to Wikipedia, “the rhythmic and repetitive action of hand knitting can help prevent and manage stress, pain and depression, which in turn strengthens the body’s immune system, as well as create a relaxation response in the body which can decrease blood pressure, heart rate, help prevent illness, and have a calming effect. Pain specialists have also found that hand knitting changes brain chemistry, resulting in an increase in “feel good” hormones (i.e. serotonin and dopamine) and a decrease in stress hormones.”
The hobby of knitting can improve your health and wellbeing, and the habit of collecting tattoos can be very satisfying too, especially if the tattoos are of people, pets and activities that you enjoy doing. Knitting tattoos specifically celebrate the craft of knitting, but they can be displayed alongside tattoos that celebrate other hobbies such as tea drinking or reading.