This is not new, our elders have a lot to teach us. Whether it is a question of ways of thinking and living, or even specific skills, it is certain that mores evolve from one generation to another. For better or for worse, this is above all a question of personal preferences, but what is certain is that between industrialization and urbanization, certain practices are being lost, and that seniors, if they are often deprived in the face of technology and computers which are progressing at a very difficult pace to follow, are also more generally manual and practical than some of their juniors, quite incapable of differentiating a cypress from a birch, and more at ease with noodles instant than the pot-au-feu recipe.
Come on, let's not exaggerate — not all seniors are incapable with technology, and many young people are real cordons bleus — but the intergenerational exchange is certainly good in both directions:it is always enriching to pass on skills traditional ones that tend to get lost over time. And this is particularly the case with knitting, for example. Indeed, who still has the need — and the time! — to knit his own clothes, while a handful of euros is enough to get your hands on cheap accoutrements in the big brands, admittedly of low quality and produced in often shameful conditions? And that's not to mention the second-hand market, very popular with the youngest, who can thereby fashion a unique style while doing good business and avoiding contributing to overproduction. Fashion is an eternal restart, after all. Knitting therefore seems well and truly obsolete, with such an abundance of clothes available to everyone. Doesn't that make it one of the trendiest activities? After all, true luxury, isn't that it? To be able to devote your time and energy to something that you could otherwise easily afford?
Be that as it may, learning this skill somewhat lost by the youngest with seniors seems to be coming back into fashion these days. All over France, intergenerational knitting initiation groups are flourishing. So why bother? What are the benefits for the oldest, as for the youngest?
These intergenerational knitting initiation workshops are generally organized monthly or weekly in media libraries, public entertainment structures and other retirement homes. Around a tea or another hot drink, we meet to learn how to knit together, but also of course to chat and socialize in general. Since they are based on intergenerational exchange rather than financial, they are generally free workshops to which everyone is welcome or requiring a modest participation of associative membership. And no worries for beginners, wool and needles are lent to those who would like to give it a try before taking the plunge.
Once well equipped and knowledgeable, all you have to do is get started. This is where intergenerational exchange works its magic. Technical advice, on the handling of your equipment or the choice of yarn... The older ones can share their secrets and help their younger ones progress, while these workshops break the monotony that can sometimes settle in the life of a more or less young retiree.
These workshops are of course enriching for the young people who take part in them, and thus benefit from the experience of their elders. Why knitting, one might ask? Well, it's always rewarding to have created something with your hands — perhaps even more so when it's not a necessity. And then in knitting, the only limit is your creativity — and your skills, of course. But apart from that, gloves, scarves, sweaters, socks, plaids, and so on... everything is at your fingertips, or at your fingertips! It is therefore an excellent way for the youngest to enrich themselves creatively, while shaping the intergenerational bond.
And as we said, the activity is more and more trendy:the DIY (from the English do it yourself , that is to say literally "do it yourself") keeps coming back into fashion, at a time when overconsumption and its excesses inspire more aversion than anything else. DIY represents an alternative combining creativity and social awareness:it is therefore no longer rare to see young women occupying their time in public transport with a ball and needles. Knitting also has quite relaxing properties, due to its repetitive nature. Just be careful not to miss his stop!
In addition to knitting, crochet and embroidery are also highly popular. Some young people create real works of art in this way. To put it simply, knitting and similar activities are no longer confined to nursing homes. Young people are more and more tempted, and what better teachers than their grandparents?
The elders themselves also have a lot to gain from these initiation workshops. First, from a personal point of view, knitting requires creativity, a certain agility and ability to concentrate to respect changes in stitches, decreases, etc. However, at an advanced age, these are qualities that are maintained. Knitting would thus have preventive virtues against arthritis, and as said above, relaxing virtues by doing an activity close to meditation (the repetitive movement of knitting is after all similar to the repetition of a mantra). Finding yourself regularly in an environment where these are solicited has something healthy about it.
And it's now easier than ever to maintain your skills, with many tutorials and patterns available online, which the youngest are more likely to find if their partners are not sufficiently comfortable with the Internet. . Motivated by these workshops, a Sunday knitter could therefore rediscover a real passion for the hobby. And there is something satisfying about passing on your know-how to the youngest. In this way, we maintain self-esteem and usefulness that can sometimes have taken a hit with age.
In addition, loneliness is a scourge that strikes many elderly people, following the loss of their spouse or loved ones, and faced with the change in pace of life that retirement represents. However, this has consequences that are, to say the least, detrimental to their mental health, which is sometimes severely affected. Any opportunity to recreate the link, whether musical (intergenerational choirs for example) or other, like these knitting workshops, is therefore good to seize. In this way, sometimes isolated people can resume or at least maintain contact with their peers, as well as the youngest. The latter also allow them to keep in touch with the modern world. Why not knit a sweater with the image of Aya Nakamura for her granddaughter's birthday, for example?
Finally, know that knitting can have many societal virtues. There is no shortage of associations that buy knitted clothes, especially with the approach of the holidays and winter, when the poorest have to rely on the generosity of their fellow citizens to avoid dying of cold. It is also a sustainable way to dress, without enriching multinationals that maximize their profits on the backs of workers from countries that do not benefit from our legislation and work in disastrous conditions. You can also replace your plastic bags with hand-knitted accessories. In short, there is no shortage of ideas to put the skills acquired and the accessories designed in these knitting workshops to good use, and thus combine business with pleasure with the help of beautiful projects!
So, knitting between generations, the ideal way to occupy your free time as a retiree while enjoying the company of the youngest? Without a doubt, even if it is regrettable that the practice remains extremely gendered. It is often only grannies and little girls and teenagers who share this moment and their techniques. So, after having initiated the youngest, perhaps we should turn to husbands and grandsons? Who knows, they too could gain a lot, and put some prejudices aside at the same time!
