At Creative Restoration our knowledge of how and why knitting benefits our mental health is constantly evolving as we read new research papers and books and interview more knitters on the Why I Knit Podcast. For several years we have been experimenting with different ways of summarising the common themes that arise and we’d love to introduce our new diagram – what better way to summarise the common themes than with the fabric of knitting itself! This model forms the basis of our on-demand 60-minute webinar “The Healing Power of Knitting”.
Let’s take a closer look…
The Why: the unique features of knitting that make it a great tool for wellbeing
We have used the needles in the diagram to represent the features of knitting which make it really well suited to benefit our mental health. These features come up often in my podcast interviews and the research as reasons that knitters have started and persisted with knitting as an activity. Many of them relate to the key feature of accessibility: there are few other hobbies which are so simple, portable and incremental.
The How: The features of knitting that soothe us (down regulation)
In the green stitches on the left hand needles we have grouped the themes that relate to soothing or regulating our nervous systems downwards. Knitters in research and the podcast interviews often speak about knitting as providing a meditative experience which helps them to feel calmer in their bodies and their minds. In addition they also speak about the experience of knitting serving to anchor their attention in the present moment allowing them some rest from anxious or negative thoughts. In addition, knitting is often discussed as an act of self-care and as a vehicle for growing self-compassion.
The How: The features of knitting that energise us (up regulation)
In the blue stitches on the right hand needle we have grouped the themes that relate to regulating our nervous systems upwards and energising us. The most prevalent of these themes is that knitting gives us a sense of achievement which we know can boost our mood and self-efficacy. Knitting also gives us the experience of play – doing something purely for the purpose of pleasure and where we can be creative. Finally knitting also offers a chance for self-expression, which closely relates to self-acceptance.
The thread that binds us together: social connection
Linked to all of these features is the idea that knitting can create social connections that benefit our mental health. This theme comes up time and time again, and relates not only to the knitters we meet in person or online, but also in allowing us a way to connect to family members through a skill they shared, or by giving us a way to show our love through creating things for the people we love.
If you’d like to hear much more about this model, the research and psychological theory behind it, and how to apply this to your life checkout our on-demand webinar The Healing Power of Knitting. This 60-minute webinar takes a deep-dive into the mental health benefits of knitting and the science behind it, as well as giving practical guidance on using knitting as a powerful tool for psychological self-care.
