As a psychologist, much of my therapy work involves supporting people who are struggling with depression and low mood. While it is important to seek professional support if you are experiencing persistent low mood, we also know that therapy or medication alone are rarely the whole answer. Much of the work involved in overcoming low mood happens outside the therapy room, between sessions. As a result, I often talk with clients about the activities they can engage in each day to support their wellbeing. For those of us who are already knitters, knitting can be a simple, accessible, and effective tool to manage low mood.
One of the common traps associated with depression and low mood is that when we feel low, we often feel lethargic and unmotivated. As a result, we stop doing the things we usually enjoy, creating a vicious cycle that can maintain low mood.
One of the key elements of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for depression is ‘behavioural activation’. This involves scheduling activities that provide either pleasure, a sense of achievement, or ideally both. For those of us who already knit, knitting is an ideal activity for this purpose.
Here are five reasons why.
5 reasons knitting can help with low mood
1. Knitting is accessible, even from bed
When I ask guests of the Why I Knit podcast why they turned to knitting rather than another activity, they often say that knitting was something they could do even from bed on their darkest days.
We know that low mood can leave us feeling exhausted and lacking energy. At times, it can feel impossible to do anything at all. However, knitting is often accessible even when other activities feel out of reach.
As a psychologist, I see time and again that being able to do one small thing often creates momentum for doing another. A few rows of knitting can eventually lead to getting out of bed, going for a short walk, or tackling another task. One reason knitting is such a helpful tool for managing low mood is simply that it is easy to access when we need it most.
2. You can knit in tiny amounts
In addition to reducing motivation, low mood can make even small tasks feel overwhelming.
The fact that knitting can be done in tiny increments is therefore incredibly helpful. Picking up a knitting project for just a few minutes feels much more manageable than many other activities. This makes it more likely that we will actually do it.
Unlike activities that require significant preparation, knitting involves almost no set-up time. Even a few stitches contribute to a larger goal, the finished item, which means every effort counts.
In therapy, we are often reminded that the challenge is not finding the perfect strategy. The real challenge is finding something that feels achievable enough for people to try and continue with. Because knitting can be done in such small steps, it is particularly well suited as a tool for helping with low mood.
3. Knitting gives you a visible sense of achievement
Research into behavioural activation shows that activities which create a sense of achievement can be really beneficial in improving mood.
Knitting provides a visible and tangible reminder of progress. It also contains multiple milestones along the way, allowing us to experience achievement throughout a project rather than only at the end.
We can celebrate finishing a row, completing a pattern repeat, reaching a colour change, or finishing a sleeve. Each milestone reinforces the idea that we are capable of making progress and succeeding.
This links closely to self-efficacy, which is our belief in our ability to achieve goals. When we experience success in one area of life, that confidence often transfers into others. Nordstrand et al. (2024) found that knitting improved knitters’ self-efficacy and confidence.
4. Knitting can shift your focus away from negative thoughts
Many knitters interviewed on the Why I Knit Podcast, as well as participants in related research (Clave-Brule et al., 2007), report that one of knitting’s greatest benefits is its ability to draw attention away from distressing thoughts.
When we feel low, our thinking often becomes more negative. Spending long periods focused on these thoughts often makes us feel worse, and the vicious cycle continues.
These negative thoughts are frequently focused on the past or the future rather than the present moment. Research into mindfulness suggests that bringing our attention back to the present can be a helpful way to tackle low mood.
Knitting offers a practical way to do exactly that. The repetitive, rhythmic movements encourage us to focus on what we are doing right now. Many knitters tell me they struggle with traditional meditation, yet experience a similar sense of calm and presence when knitting.
By bringing our attention into the here and now, knitting can help reduce the impact of negative thought patterns associated with low mood.
5. Knitting can bring small moments of joy
For many knitters, knitting provides an accessible source of joy that can be woven into everyday life.
As a multi-sensory activity, there are many aspects of knitting that can lift our mood. This might be using the colours that make us smile, using soft yarn that feel soothing, or the excitement of casting on a new project.
It could also be the pleasure of discovering the perfect yarn or finding a pattern that inspires us.
These moments may seem small, but they can all add up. Even brief experiences of enjoyment can provide a valuable boost to our mood during difficult periods and help support our overall emotional wellbeing.
Knitting offers multiple benefits to our mood
As outlined above, the real strength of knitting lies in its ability to interrupt low mood in several different ways at once.
It can provide pleasure, achievement, mindfulness, confidence, and a sense of progress, all within a simple and accessible activity. While knitting is not a replacement for professional support when it is needed, it can be a valuable addition to the tools we use to manage low mood and support our mental health.
For more in-depth teaching on how and why knitting can benefit our mental health check out our live events and on-demand webinars.
