One of the many gifts of knitting is to facilitate play – which in turn offers opportunities for experimentation, creativity, joy and connection.
The Power of Play: A Pathway to Joy, Creativity, and Burnout Prevention
It’s hard to imagine now, but I grew up without a TV in the house – a deliberate decision by my parents to encourage us to read and play, and also to shield us from apartheid government propaganda (South Africa in the 19080s). I really hated it at the time, but looking back I have lots of memories of time spent playing (and being bored) that feel far removed from the somewhat frenetic pace of life these days. I remember lots of cricket in the garden (which I was always terrible at), rich imaginative play exploring my grandparents’ house and creating crazy potions in the kitchen. As an older child and teenager, and throughout my adult life too, some of the best times have been playing games together as a family, usually things that let us be silly and laugh at ourselves, like pictionary or charades.
As a child play came naturally. Nobody needed to tell us how to do it. And yet, for many of us, something happens as we grow up. The ease of play fades, replaced by responsibilities, routines, and the relentless drumbeat of productivity. It can feel really hard to make space and time to play for play’s sake. We’re also so often praised for being efficient, organised, and hard-working—but rarely for being playful. This reinforces the idea that play isn’t valuable.
As a clinical psychologist, I’ve often seen how this loss of play can erode wellbeing. But I’ve also discovered, both personally and professionally, how reclaiming play can be a powerful antidote to stress and burnout.
Play as Experiment and Creativity
One of the beautiful things about play is that it allows us to experiment without fear. In play, mistakes are not failures—they’re part of the process. This is one of the joys of trying something new in a knitting project. We can experiment and try things out just for the fun of it – and if we make a mistake it’s okay. The stakes are low, and we can choose to incorporate the mistake into the project, or unravel and start again. Nothing is lost.
Play gives us permission to try, to test, to be curious. Kirketerp (2024) describes how true play involves activities that are freely chosen, engaged in for their own sake, and done in a safe space. That freedom is liberating, particularly in contrast to the pressure many of us feel at work to always “get it right.” Play is not about outcomes—it’s about process. It is a counterbalance to the rigid demands of productivity, and in that counterbalance, we find creativity, flexibility, and resilience.
Play as Pleasure and Joy
Play also reconnects us with pleasure. In behavioural activation, a well-established treatment for depression, people are encouraged to engage in activities that bring enjoyment, precisely because they spark positive emotions and break cycles of low mood. Play works in a similar way. On a biological level, play helps the brain release endorphins—natural chemicals that lift mood and reduce stress. Even small glimmers of joy—moments of laughter, colour, or silliness—can act as an antidote to burnout. They remind us what it feels like to feel alive again.
Play as Connection
Play is not only something we do alone—it is also a powerful way of connecting with others. Shared laughter, collaborative games, or group creative activities foster a sense of belonging and strengthen relationships. When we play together, we drop some of the formalities and roles that can keep us distant. Whether it’s a knitting group, a board game with friends, or dancing in the kitchen with family, play helps us build bonds that are protective for our mental health.
Play as Work Recovery
Play also serves an important role in recovery from work. Especially in roles that are serious, high-stakes, and emotionally or cognitively demanding, our inner resources can become depleted. Play offers a way to replenish those reserves by engaging different parts of ourselves—our creativity, our curiosity, our sense of joy. By stepping outside the demands of productivity and responsibility, play allows the nervous system to downshift and restore balance, so we can return to our work with renewed energy and perspective. This concept of work recovery is important for burnout prevention. Balance is key here – the more work takes from you the more we need to balance this in our life outside work. So the more serious your job is, the greater the imperative to play!
Knitting as Play
Knitting, for me, has become a way back into play. At first glance, it might not seem like play at all—it looks structured, repetitive, even serious. But look more closely, and you’ll see how playful it can be. There’s the experimentation: choosing colours, combining textures, trying a pattern just to see how it looks. There’s the sensory delight: the feel of yarn slipping through your fingers, the satisfaction of stitches lining up, the visual joy of colour and form. And crucially, there’s the freedom to make mistakes. Dropped stitches, tangled yarn, projects that don’t quite work out—they’re all part of the playful process.
Research backs up what knitters already know. Riley et al. (2013) found that most knitters noticed an improvement in mood after knitting. La Lagadec et al. (2024) reported that almost all participants in their study expressed joy, happiness, and positive mood when engaging in needlecraft. Knitting is not just about making something useful or productive—it’s about creating a safe, playful space for pleasure and joy.
Reclaiming Play for Wellbeing
In a culture that idolises productivity, making time for play can feel almost rebellious. But it is exactly this rebellion that protects our mental health. Play reminds us that mistakes are not disasters, that joy is not frivolous, and that experimenting without a clear outcome can be profoundly nourishing.
So perhaps the invitation is this: what would it look like for you to reintroduce a little play into your life? Maybe it’s through knitting, dancing, painting, or simply being silly with friends or children. Whatever form it takes, allow yourself to play for the sake of play. Not as another task on the to-do list, but as a gift. Because in those small, playful moments, we can offer ourselves restoration through creativity, joy and connection.
Creating a playful knitting game
My contribution to the “Play” sketchbook was to create a little knitting game that I played with my family. I filled a sack with my stash of brightly coloured cotton yarn, created some rules and recruited my kids to join in. The rules were:
- Pick a random yarn out of the sack
- Throw one dice to determine how many rows to knit with that colour
- Throw the dice again to determine the stitch for each row (odd=knit, even=purl)
The end result was a fun and colourful patch for the sketchbook. But the process was much more than that. My kids loved taking part and they took real pleasure in seeing the patch take shape. I really enjoyed the freedom of not having to make any decisions, and connecting with my boys through this. I noticed feeling lighter and more positive.
It was a lovely reminder of how it is possible, and not that effortful, to weave playfulness into our everyday lives. Even when things do feel frantic, moments of play can be a resource to nourish, restore and top us up.
How could you be more playful in your life today?
If you want to find out more about how and why knitting can benefit our mental health checkout our on-demand webinar: The Healing Power of Knitting
If you enjoyed this, you can find the rest of the Sketchbook Circle Series here.
