Welcome to the Why I Knit podcast! My name is Dr Mia Hobbs and I am a Clinical Psychologist who is passionate about the mental health benefits of knitting.
Each episode of the podcast I interview a different knitter about why they knit and the (k)nitty gritty of how it impacts their mental wellbeing. I have had the pleasure of speaking to an inspiring and diverse range of knitters who have generously shared their stories with me.
We also have a series of bonus episodes where my colleague and fellow Clinical Psychologist Dr Paula Redmond joins me to discuss the research into knitting and mental health.
Why I Knit Episodes...
TW: Cancer and bereavement Susan Yaguda is passionate about knitting as a form self-care. She is an oncology nurse who has used knitting with both staff and patients at the Cancer Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina. These have included setting up a knitting group for people who are receiving chemotherapy and developing a study into...
It was an absolute pleasure to speak to Milli about her relationship with knitting. Right now she is the owner of Tribe Yarns, a yarn shop in Richmond-upon-Thames in London but she has also circumnavigated the globe on a yacht with her family and worked with Richard Branson as his CFO. Knitting has been a...
This week I was excited to be joined by Casey Bernard, who is one half of the Very Pink Knits podcast. I have listened to this podcast for several years now and particularly enjoy the conversations that Casey and Staci have about the differences between them and their relationship to their knitting and the dilemma...
Nasreen (also known as @sewcraftynaz on Instagram) is a multi-crafter and relatively new knitter. She joins me on the podcast to talk about how craft has allowed her to connect to her mother who died when she was very young, and to her children who have inherited her love of making. Nasreen also speaks about...
Series two is starting with another ‘pinch me’ moment as I am joined by Meghan Fernandes and Lydia Gluck, the founders and creative directors of Pom Pom magazine! As you’ll hear, discovering Pom Pom inspired me to become a garment knitter, which has completely changed my relationship with the clothes I wear. It was such...
The podcast is back for series two on Thursday 3rd March. I am really excited to share another series of interviews with brilliant guests all of whom believe that knitting plays an important role in their mental wellbeing.
Dana Williams-Johnson, or DWJ is a doctoral student and professor of marketing at Howard University. She is also a passionate knitter of colourful sweaters for humans and very small dogs! She also writes a column for Modern Daily Knitting. Dana and I speak about how her love of learning brought her to a knitting class...
Lauren Brennan is the Managing Director of Project Knitwell, a charity dedicated to using knitting as a wellness tool and bringing this to people in hospital and community settings. Lauren speaks about her own journey in using to knitting to benefit her wellbeing as well as her involvement in project knitwell, bringing the joy and...
LJ is the owner of Rusty Ferret Yarn and also speaks openly about how she has used knitting to manage anxiety and low mood. She has brilliantly named her new yarn range after her struggles with low mood. LJ speaks about knowing that she needed to do something with her hands in order to feel...
Betsan Corkhill is internationally recognised as an expert in therapeutic knitting. Hear about how a stack of letters in a filing cabinet let to Betsan’s career specialising in the therapeutic benefits of knitting and how she rebranded knitting as a ‘rythmical bilateral psychosocial intervention’ in order to get knitting taken seriously when discussing her research....