Knitting has always been therapeutic for me.  It has guided me through the times in my life when there was stress and also provides great peace and comfort.  This was apparent in a new way to me over the Summer.  On Memorial Day weekend, my hands started to swell and hurt.  I couldn’t use them for everyday tasks and I couldn’t knit.  A trip to the doctor diagnosed the issue and I was on my way to recovery.  I started medication but couldn’t use my hands to knit for a week because it was so painful.  My mood deteriorated quickly.   I really didn’t know how to cope with the days without my knitting so I cleaned my yarn stash and went through my patterns.  Every day I picked up my needles and tried to knit.  Thank goodness after a week, I was able to knit again.  Slowly at first and with some pain but the contentment of knitting made everything easier to cope with.

I had read about therapeutic knitting on the Stitchlinks website and can now say with certainty that knitting is essential to my emotional well being.  A trip to the library led me to the book by the founder of Stitchlinks titled Knit Yourself Calm. I recommend visiting the Stitchlinks website to read all about therapeutic knitting.  Then check out the Knit Yourself Calm book and take some time to read the forward written by Betsan Corkhill and the Introduction.

 

In the forward, Ms. Corkhill states “A daily dose of knitting is great for managing stress.  As you knit, focus on the calming, rhythmic movements and allow your mind to flow in harmony with your hands.”

The book has projects organized into 5 sections ranging from Quick & easy meant for a quick fix to raise your mood such as dishcloths like this one and Big Projects that will provide a consistent way to find calm and get into the flow of the pattern allowing you to “knit yourself calm”.

It also encourages more than one project at a time.  so for those of us that wonder why we have so many works in progress(WIP) maybe this will explain it.

So what role does knitting play in your day?  Do you recognize it as therapy? Does it help you feel calm, creative, and accomplished?