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.

Tattoo artist Leah Moule has added hearts and flowers into this colorful knitting tattoo to add to the feminine appeal of the tattoo design. The vast majority of knitters are women, and the pink yarn, crystal-topped knitting needles, pretty blue flowers and the knitted heart motif are all design elements that will delight the female owner of the tattoo as well as any women who see this tattoo, regardless of whether or not they like to knit themselves. [source]

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.

Tattoo artist Sylvie has designed this tattoo for a client who feels like knitting is in her bones. This clever tattoo design shows a literal, visual translation of the phrase, “Knitting is in my bones” by making it seem like the arm bones of the tattoo owner are being used as knitting needles. [source]

This cute tattoo of a knitted rubber ducky toy is by the master of cute and colorful tattoos Steven Compton. The Japanese word for a toy that is made out of yarn, either crocheted or knitted, is amigurumi, and most amigurumi toys are just as cute as this purple ducky tattoo. [source]

This knitting tattoo design by Alie is a pun that plays on the saying, “Live fast, die young.” The tattoo design is based on the skull and crossbones flag that pirates used to display on their ships. The skull and crossbones is often used in contemporary art to symbolise a diehard and determined approach to something, in this case; knitting. [source]

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.

A knitting fanatic received this colorful tattoo of a ball of rainbow yarn with knitting needles poked through from tattoo artist Elli. [source]

This beautiful knitting tattoo, worn by knitwear designer Claudia Donnelly boats a beautiful red ball of yarn with wooden knitting needles. [source]

Alex Cfourpo has designed and tattooed this cartoon rhino sitting on a log and knitting a sock. Tattoos like this one combine a couple of personal favorites of the tattoo wearer. In this case, they like illustrative tattoo styles, their favorite animal is the rhino and they really enjoy knitting. [source]

This girly tattoo design on the inside arm shows how much this woman loves to knit. The tattoo artist has used pink tattoo ink to color the design to add to the girly nature of the tattoo. [source]