People, you need to start knitting... or something

Attention all Young Adults: Learn to make shit. 

Hi.

I'm 20 years old, and I am a cat-lady in training, minus the cats. I love knitting, reading, and complaining about the kids on my lawn. I make jam as a thank you gift, tailor all of my own clothing, and find infinite amounts of joy in buttons (I have a jewelry box full of buttons- organized by color and size of course...)
I'm an undergraduate music major with aspirations of getting a PhD in fuddy-duddying.
And I refuse to apologize.
Let's face it, my crafting makes me just a teensy tiny bit more useful than the average kid my age, and here's why you should pick some needles and start making things:

1. It's meditative. I find peace in patterns and routine, and after a long day doing whatever I'm doing, I can come home, perform a small ritual, and just let my mind wander.

2. You have complete control over at least one aspect of your life. You can choose the color, the texture, and of course the design of any project you make.

3. Everything you make is one of a kind! If you can't find it, you can make it, and NO ONE ELSE will have it.

4. It lasts forever. My grandma is still wearing a sweater that her mother made her for her honeymoon. That was over 40 years ago people. No holes, no pilling, and so so soft. I'm hoping to inherit it, because pure alpaca is hard to find, and soooo expensive.

5. It's gratifying. You spent hours and hours doing the same thing over and over, and in the end, you a guaranteed a finished product!

6. You can totally make your hobby into charity. Personally, I make more hats and scarves than I'll ever need (hello, Cali girl raised in Arizona)and whatever I don't use myself or give to friends/ family, I donate. Double duty! My hobby helps others.

7. You'll always have a conversation starter. Try whipping out some knitting in Starbucks- people will come up to you, and they WILL ask you for a sweater.

8. It's a relatively inexpensive hobby- I spent two skeins on my last project, and it took me 12 hours to finish. So my 5$ investment was 12 hours of entertainment! Not too shabby, and it's a helluva lot cheaper than video-gaming.

9. If we were in a zombie apocalypse, I'd be SO USEFUL. Net-making: check bitches. Post-apocalyptic frozen tundra- I'll make a damn parka. Someone in our camp caught the infection- I'll make a noose in no time. Knitting needles= tiny spears, extra fucking pointy. Don't mess with the granny in training, I will TAKE.YOU.OUT. (zombies. I mean the zombies)

It doesn't have to be knitting, or sewing, or painting, but find something artistic to do in your everyday life. Make something from scratch with your hands, and stand back to see what you made. You don't even have to be good at it! Find a way to make beauty and stability in a world that is sometimes harsh and illogically cruel.  You will reap the rewards of your own handiwork, and you will be a better person for it. Trust me. 

P.S. Here's my latest project. So cute right?? FRINGE <3

Here's the lace pattern stretched out so you can really see it.