It's easy to scoff at knitting. Once considered a household chore or a way to occupy oneself in one's dotage, it enjoyed a revival a decade ago. A revival which is - thankfully - now behind us, and with it the depressing banana cosies and wine-bottle jackets that it spawned. But something took root, and today things are very different for the needle wielders among us.

DIY knitwear company Wool and the Gang, whose yarns have been spotted backstage in the hands of super-stylist Katy Grand, can lay some claim to transforming the profile of knitting from twee to hip, with their laidback kits for beginners. Meanwhile, more seasoned knitters' fingers twitch at the sight of the knitwear that is once again in the high-fashion limelight, be that glam-rock lurex by Meadham Kirchhoff, souped-up surrealism at Sibling, cheeky cartoon half-faces at Christopher Shannon, or the elaborate arts-and-craft intarsias at Jonathan Saunders.

But if you can buy something, why waste your precious free time making it yourself? It's understandable that many – particularly those of the baby boomer generation who view knitting as a kitsch relic of a time when it was a cost-saving domestic burden – find it hard to see the appeal. And why they might flinch at the hefty price tag on some of the luxe yarns on the market. At £20 a skein, for instance, Madelinetosh doesn't come cheap, but where else can you get springy neon cashmere? For buttery soft merino, there's Malabrigo, while Brooklyn Tweed deals in muted, rustic shades.



You see, knitting is not about thrift, any more than it is twee. It isn’t even relaxing, some of the time. It's about the excitement of conjuring up something from almost nothing, the satisfaction of having something to feel and hold as it grows from the rhythmic movement of your fingers, the pleasure of repetition.

And knitting patterns are no longer the nasty, unflattering designs that used to be the mainstay. There’s evidence enough of that on Ravelry, an online community 3 million members strong, where you can find a database of hundreds of thousands of designs, along with forums teeming with experts. Among some of the most popular designers are classic-but-fresh Wool People, minimalist Ankestrick and Norah Gaughan's ingenious constructions.

But for many, the real joy of knitting lies in the ability to reverse-engineer, replicate and tweak the knits they see in the shops. If you've ever felt your body doesn't quite match the schematics favoured by certain designers, or if you've ever found the perfect sweater but wished it was in a different colour, then making it yourself could be the answer. Why wait for something to become commercially available if you know how to make it in the exact shade, size and shape you want it?

Knitters, like the members of any subculture, love sharing and showing off their nous. Ravelry has whole groups dedicated to matching up and tweaking existing patterns to give them the flavour of styles more recently seen on the catwalks at Balenciaga, say, or Burberry Prorsum. And the 'Knit the Look' feature from the blog Fringe Association is dedicated to showing how to tweak classic knitting patterns to echo street style looks captured across the globe.

Master the basics and you can go off the beaten path. You don't need to slavishly follow patterns. With a little maths and guidance from the masters Elizabeth Zimmerman and Barbara Walker, for example, it's possible to create your own take on that £1,155 cabled sweater by The Row that you've been dreaming of. Fancy some J.Crew-inspired llama intarsia? Great. Love this Jil Sander bobble and rib number but wish it had balloon sleeves? Easy. A bit of waist shaping, a curved hem? No problem.

But a word of warning before you strike out: there may be no going back. Once you become used to creating for yourself, you’ll notice modifications or potential tweaks all over the place. And once you have the know-how, wearing even the most high-end knitwear begins to feel like living off ready meals. But don’t worry – it takes years to reach that level.