Knitstagram vs reality

January 30, 2025

By Janina Kallio

Simple knitting with beautiful results

Let’s be honest—social media makes knitting look like an aesthetic dream.

You scroll through perfect photos and start to think: Why doesn’t my knitting look like that? What am I doing wrong?

According to Instagram, we’re all supposed to be:

Knitting by the glow of a beeswax candle, with fresh flowers perfectly framing our setup.
Drinking steaming artisan coffee while effortlessly finishing a flawless sweater in a single weekend.
Gazing out at snowy cabin windows, wrapped in a cosy shawl that we obviously made in three hours.

But here’s the reality:

Cold coffee, a couch sprinkled with snack crumbs, and half a skein of yarn pulled out in a tangled mess when the centre-pull cake betrayed you.
Frogging the same row four times because you thought you could multitask.
Knitting in your car at soccer practice, frantically Googling, “How to fix a dropped stitch before you cry.”

And guess what?

That’s normal. Knitting isn’t about the perfect aesthetics—it’s about the process, the creativity, and the enjoyment (even if your dog chews your yarn).

So grab your tangled skein, your lukewarm tea, and embrace the chaos. You’re doing it right. ❤️