Should I learn to knit?

Knitting has had a boon in recent years.  When Covid first hit in 2020, and everyone was staying home, DIY everything became a major fad.  But this increased interest in crafting hasn’t waned much as people have returned to work.  New knitters have found so many benefits to knitting, that they just keep coming back!

Why is knitting so popular?

Knitting has been around a long time.  It’s no longer about survival, but it offers many benefits!  Knitting, even as a hobby, has great affect on our psychological & physical health, as well as our social health, and (depending on your choice of materials) can even be good for the environment!

Knitting is good for your mind.

Let’s discuss some of the psychological effects of knitting and how they can lead to a greater sense of well-being.

1-Concentration/Meditation-  As a certified Yoga Therapist, I can tell you that knitting is NOT “the new Yoga”.  It’s not the same!  You still have to get up and move.  But knitting does incorporate concentration.  And focused concentration IS meditation!  There are 2 types of meditation that I see while knitting.  First, when you’re learning something new, or focused on an intricate stitch pattern, you have to focus deeply to keep from making a mistake.  The second type of meditation is my favorite, though.  It’s when you’ve really learned your stitch pattern and your hands just sort of move on their own.  Your mind calms down and soothes itself with the rhythm of your stitches.  Like Grandma’s rocking chair, or the rhythm of the waves, our nervous system responds to the repetition of knitting stitches.

2-Decreased stress- As we practice knitting, we get better and better at our stitches, and we can get into that second type of meditation.  Some mental health practitioners call this state “flow”, where there seems to be nothing else in the world, except what we’re working on.  When we’re in this flow, our heart rate decreases, our breathing slows, and our muscles relax.  Even if we just practice a few minutes each day, these little sessions add up to decreased overall stress.

3-Self-esteem- There are not too many things that increase our self-esteem more than a completed task!  A job well done & complete feels so good, and helps us to see ourselves as worthwhile individuals.  In knitting, we refer to a completed project as an “F.O.”, or finished object.  Many of us keep track of all our projects in a journal or an online forum, and it feels so good to look back and say, “I made that”.  It also feels amazing when you’re wearing your FO in public & someone comments on it.

4-Creativity & Self-expression- With fiber arts, you can create anything you can dream up.  Once you learn the basics of knit & purl, there are endless variations of things you can make.  I truly believe that every human being has the ability to be wildly creative, and knitting is an artistic medium that doesn’t disappoint.  From clothing, to home décor, to gifts, and even kitchen helpers, there are so many beautiful & useful things to knit.

5-Grounding-  This benefit of knitting is a little different.  Coming from a Yoga background, the concept of ‘grounding’ is an important one.  Grounding is simply the practice of coming out of our whirlwind of thoughts, and into the sensations of the body.  Grounding can help prevent panic attacks, soothe the nervous system, and significantly decrease anxiety.  When I’m knitting, I experience grounding through the textures of the fibers.  When you can focus entirely on how the yarn and needles feel in your hands, you can ground your mind, which can lead to increased relaxation.

Knitting is good for your body.

Next, knitting has several physical benefits:

1-Dexterity- Knitting is a manual dexterity skill, which teaches our hands to be more precise in their movements.  It can help alleviate some of the pain of arthritis, and it creates new neural pathways, so that our brains and hands “talk” to each other more efficiently!

2-Decreased physical stress-  This one ties in greatly to the psychological benefits, but there are also physical benefits involved.  Decreased stress can help lower our blood pressure, relax our muscles, aid in digestion, and so much more.  I bet we all could use less stress in our lives!

3-Slowed onset of dementia- With certain diseases, and even just from age, our neural pathways can deteriorate.  By learning new skills, we can regenerate these pathways, which can slow the onset of dementia, and keep our minds “sharp”.

Knitting is good for your community & your earth

Finally, I’d like to share a few social & environmental benefits to learning to knit

1-A sense of community- Covid-19 and the worldwide lock-downs have left many struggling to regain a sense of community, and friendship.  Through knitting, we can create lifelong relationships!  There’s a vibrant online knitting community on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube & Ravelry.  I’ve “met” so many new friends online who share my love of yarn & knitting. (I’d love to connect with you on any of these platforms!)  And if you feel comfortable getting out in the world, go find a knit group!  Pre-pandemic, I had a regular group of friends who met at a local shop about once a month.  I miss these sweet friends desperately.  I didn’t realize just how much until my husband bought me a gift certificate to another local shop (Yarntiques) and I became acquainted with the ladies there.  I once again have friends “IRL” to share patterns, yarns, and tips with.  Sitting and knitting together is a beautiful way to develop deep friendships, even during the pandemic. If you’re interested, I have a blog post about Reasons to take an in-person knitting class!

2-Animal-friendly & Environmentally friendly yarns- Not all yarns/manufacturers/farms are environmentally friendly, but there are plenty out there, if you just look!  I especially love to find the sheep-to-sweater producers who have a small flock.  These farmers (sheep parents?) know their livestock by name and can even tell you whose fleece your yarn is made from.  When these small farms produce yarn, you can be assured that the sheep, goats, alpaca, or what-have-you are well loved & cared for.  Shearing a sheep doesn’t hurt the animal, and is actually required to grow the healthiest livestock.  If sheep go unsheared, their fleece gets matted and can entangle them in the underbrush.  This could be dangerous!

For environmentally friendly materials, you can find lots of yarn options.  Bamboo is sustainably harvested, as are some cottons and linens.  Also, check into the dying process of your yarn.  Most dyes are now manufactured to be less hazardous than in years past.  But there’s a whole category of natural dyes that are very popular to work with.

3-Slow fashion- Fast fashion is a curse on our culture, as well as our environment.  So many clothes are being rapidly produced and just as quickly thrown away!  The amount of waste associated with fast fashion is astounding.  It also creates a culture of excessive consumerism. If you are also passionate about reducing textile waste, start learning about the growing trend of Slow Fashion, and of the “me-made” wardrobe.  Many young people see the excess of the textile industry and are taking great pride in making their clothing themselves, getting to know the process of fashion in a slow, methodical way.  Knitting, like hand sewing, is a very slow way to make a garment.  When you’re finished, you can really have a piece of wearable art that you can be proud of.

4-Enjoying the wait-  One of the most important benefits of knitting that I have found is that I no longer stress about having to wait.  Car line becomes a joy.  Even doctors’ appointments are kind of fun when I know I’ll get to squeeze in a few minutes of knitting time.  While most people who have to wait are playing on their phones, endlessly scrolling social media, a knitter can be producing a gift or a garment, completely off-line!

As you can see, I absolutely think everyone should learn to knit!  I’ve named 12 great reasons to knit here, and I feel like I haven’t even touched the surface of this topic.  If you haven’t yet learned, please go find an LYS (local yarn shop) or find tutorials online to get you started.  If you have learned, what are you waiting for?  Go grab those needles!