Knitting is a skilled

art. 
I am tired of people denigrating knitting. There is another letter in the paper this morning and the headline reads "stick to your knitting". 
It is not meant kindly.
Knitting, in one form or another, has been around for several thousand years.  Archaeologists know this from the small fragments that have survived in places as far apart as Egypt and Peru.
Perhaps part of the problem is that knitting gets used. It is generally made from materials that will eventually disintegrate over time - wool, silk, linen,cotton and other natural fibres all make good knitting yarn. A thousand years from now (and if there is anyone left on the planet) people may find items made of acrylic but the natural fibres will have, unless deliberately preserved, gone.
No, knitting doesn't last forever. But, it does last. I have an Aran style pullover that is more than thirty years old and I can still wear it. The Senior Cat has a "gardening" one that is even older. I have reknitted the cuffs twice and the elbows have been darned. It is almost shapeless and covered in glue and paint stains. He still insists on wearing it. You see, it's wool and it is still warm - although not as warm as it once was.
But knitting appears elsewhere as well. You are almost certainly wearing something which is knitted right now. My socks, underwear, t-shirt and cardigan are all knitted. Knits of this sort are beloved by busy parents who can simply fling them into the washing machine  - something you do not do to a precious item knitted by hand. All those items you can fling in the machine had their origins in something knitted by hand. 
And yes, knitting by hand is a slow process. It doesn't happen quickly.  It can be frustrating when things go wrong but it can also be soothing, relaxing and very satisfying.
And no, it isn't "just for old people". There is one very young member of the local guild and it would be lovely to have more. The recent "Fibre Feast" in this state had literally hundreds of young people in their teens and twenties looking for supplies. Schools have just been on holiday here and I taught a small group of teens with a range of problems to knit. It was something they could choose from a range of activities offered to them. 
We have knitting groups for charity because people want to knit. We have increased the range of classes in our main state wide "show" (think county fair) so that people can show their work - and some of that goes to charity too. 
I have felt real pleasure at the sight of a homeless man walking down a city street ahead of me while wearing a warm hat made by a teen I taught to knit.  It's a thrill to see someone wearing a shawl I made.
People get a lot from knitting, both those who wear it and those who make it. Of course we can simply go to a shop and buy something but it isn't the same. I can knit to fit. I can give someone something in the colour they want. The sleeves can be made the length they want.
And there is real skill involved in all of this. Yes, you can learn to do the knit stitch and the purl stitch and you can knit backwards and forwards or around and around but knitting is much more than that. It is colour and texture and form, size and shape. It is the finishing too. It is haute couture and the simplest charity beanie. 
Please don't denigrate knitting. It is an art and a craft.
And without it you might not  be nearly so comfortably clothed.