Is Knitting Good for your Health?
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There have been many anecdotal claims about knitting being good for your health.
Myself being one of them.
I am a strong proponent of knitting being good for mental health.
When I was struggling with post -partum depression after the birth of my first child, I dove into knitting like nobody’s business, in fact, that’s when I started MotherofPurl. I had been knitting for some time before then, but right after he was born, I needed to knit, knit, knit! I don’t know if it was the need to have creative energy go somewhere, or the crippling anxiety that I felt in every other area of my life.
Knitting gave me the ability to see results of getting something done that day, even when I couldn’t bring myself to do the dishes.
Knitting gave me a sense of calm and control over what I was doing. As a new mother, I had no idea what I was getting into, how drastically my life would change, and how little control I had over anything. (the hormone fluctuations were not helpful).
seeing my row by row progress allowed me to stay focused and have a sense of calm, even when my entire world was unpredictable.
So, Why Is knitting Good for your health?
Knitting can:
(According to this study )
Lower your blood pressure (1)
Reduce depression and anxiety
slow the onset of dementia
Distract from chronic pain
Increase your sense of wellbeing
and
Help foster feelings of inclusion and purpose
I remember feeling completely useless, and without purpose. I remember feeling like I wasn’t doing well enough, like I was supposed to be doing better “by now”. I would think about needing to cook myself dinner, and seeing all the dishes piled high on the counters and just be so struck with anxiety that the only thing I could do was sit on the couch and cry.
and what was there waiting for me next to the couch? my yarn and needles.
Knitting was the one thing I felt confident that I could do. I had never felt so alone, so under-supported, so unsure of who I was and what I was supposed to be doing in the world, but I had my knitting.
About a year later, after my hormones balanced out, I started to see how knitting had saved me, I have so many knitted projects from that time in my life, that I now wear with pride, because I made them, and I made them at a time in my life when my only joy came from my knitting.
Want to get into knitting but don’t know where to start?
You can get a lot of beginner supplies, Free patterns, and how to guides by clicking the link below.
Not only are yarns Absolutely delightful, there are so many directions you can go with knitting!
After you learn how to knit, you can :
read some knitting blogs, compare different knitting patterns, Knit lace, Create a shawl, Learn to block, make a sweater, try a new technique, and start a new craft! the possibilities are endless!
I’m not a doctor, or a therapist, but, I can say with absolute confidence that knitting helped me to move through some very dark times.
The knitting community, and the fiber arts community as a whole has been very supportive and encouraging. I am thankful that I am part of such a beautiful group of folks and thank you for being here!