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...
Eileen has been a knitter since she was a child, but returned to it recently during a challenging time in her life. She discovered a new love for knitting and has now started to create her own designs. Eileen speaks about how knitting has been a form of self-expression, and how she rarely keeps the...
Dr Paula Redmond is a clinical psychologist who specialises in working with healthcare professionals who have experienced burnout or workplace trauma. Paula and I met through the world of psychology, and I was delighted to meet another clinical psychologist who knits, and also speaks about creativity, including knitting, in her work. Paula speaks about her...
This week I am joined by Liz McNeil. Liz is a knitting coach who works for Knit Chats where she helps knitters with their knitting dilemmas and teaches classes about different techniques. Liz speaks about how knitting has helped her through the challenges of having small children, when finding tiny pockets of time for herself...
Although Carol Caprosa doesn’t consider herself to be an ‘expert knitter’ she, along with the many volunteers working on behalf of Project Knitwell have brought the gift of knitting to thousands of people during stressful times in their lives. It was amazing to hear the origin story of Project Knitwell, how returning to knitting when...
It was such a pleasure to meet Karie and speak to her about how she learned to knit and dressmake out of necessity as a very young child in rural Denmark. Then many years later, knitting helped her to recover from a serious illness and returning to it eventually lead to her career as a...
Series 3 is coming on 23rd June! I am so looking forward to sharing another series of 6 conversations with knitters, designers and even another psychologist. You can catch up on all the previous episodes at the website: Podcast | Why I Knit Podcast (therapeuticknitting.org)
CW: discussion of cancer, loss of fertility and depression Liz O’Riordan is a breast surgeon who has herself experienced cancer, twice. She now works as a speaker, author and podcaster providing high quality and accessible information about cancer from her expertise as both a doctor and a patient. Liz is also a lifelong knitter and...
Clare is a knitting pattern designer and design mentor. She learned to knit as a teenager and studied knitwear design but after working in the commercial fashion industry has found her niche designing patterns and helping other people learn to make their designs into reality. It was great to hear the perspective of a pattern...
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...
