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Sign up to learn to knit via Zoom with PK's experienced volunteers.

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Knitwell in the Cloud One-on-one Instruction

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Knitwell in the Cloud One-on-one Instruction

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https://projectknitwell.org/kic/

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Knit Stitch - v e r y p i n k . c o m - knitting patterns and video tutorials

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Knit Stitch - VeryPink offers knitting patterns and video tutorials from Staci Perry. Short technique videos and longer pattern tutorials to take your knitting skills to the next level.

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Slow Motion Knit Stitch - v e r y p i n k . c o m - knitting patterns and video tutorials

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Slow Motion Knit Stitch - VeryPink offers knitting patterns and video tutorials from Staci Perry. Short technique videos and longer pattern tutorials to take your knitting skills to the next level.

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Different ways to describe the four steps:

In = Poke It = Up the tree

Around = Wrap it = Around the back

Through = Catch it = Down the tree

Off = Deliver it = Off jumps Jack

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Georgetown Lombardi Arts and Humanities Program

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Learn How to Knit With Carol Caparosa/Project Knitwell

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Learn how to read your stitches and to determine which way they sit on the needle by practicing going backward to remove stitches.

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How busy hands can alter our brain chemistry:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/handiwork-how-busy-hands-can-alter-our-brain-chemistry/

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https://www.interweave.com/article/knitting/anxiety-and-knitting/

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Knitting is how I relax - just as long as I keep it simple

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There is joy in the process of both making the gift and giving it, and I believe this is part of what the holiday should be

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"Common themes emerged:

1. Knitting was the one thing which was so absorbing that it distracted from the painful thoughts such as “what if”s

2. The steady rhythm and progress of the knitting was comforting.

3. It accompanied people, even through difficult nights of insomnia, and on long journeys to the funeral.

4. When sitting with someone dying, it comforted the patient that the visitor wasn’t ‘wasting time’ with them, but was doing something by knitting."

From:
https://commaand.co/2019/01/03/good-grief-knitting/

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Learn how mindful knitting helped one woman cope with the grief of losing her mother to dementia.

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Outlets for nurses, doctors, and other caregivers to prevent burnout and compassion fatigue.

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Knit for Health & Wellness by Betsan Corkhill

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Anybody who has ever held a knitting needle knows the calm and peace it can bring. Few people know how to truly harness this potential to intentionally improve wellbeing.

" I learned to knit before going to school, yet have learned so much from this book. It is both motivating and inspiring!" Amazon Review

Thanks to the pioneering work of Betsan Corkhill, scientists, clinicians and psychologists around the world are realising and accepting the health benefits of knitting.

It has already transformed and even saved lives.

Change and challenges are an inevitable feature of life. Modern day stresses are many and varied. To stay healthy everyone needs an accessible tool the can rely on any time, anywhere.

Knitting can even be used as an effective tool to manage and improve the symptoms of long term problems. Take a look at the box on the right. ALl these conditions and more have been significantly helped by the simple activity of knitting.

'Knit for Health & Wellness. How to knit a flexible mind & more...' is already transforming the way people think about health, wellness and knitting.

Join the growing global community of people learning to live well by choice.

Find out more about this groundbreaking book by Betsan Corkhill. Discover the Why. And the How.

Read Testimonials from senior academics and professors, clinicians, patients and knitters here

And if you are interested but don't really want to buy now, register for a FREE monthly update newsletter here.

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" I learned to knit before going to school, yet have learned so much from this book. It is both motivating and inspiring!" Amazon Review Thanks to the pioneering work of Betsan Corkhill, scientists, clinicians and psychologists around the world are realising and accepting the health benefits of knitting.

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Let us guide you through everything you need to know about knitting for mindfulness, from the health benefits of knitting, to patterns to ease your mind.

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Knit One, Purl One: The Health Benefits of Knitting

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Knitting is both process- and product-oriented, encompassing repetitive tasks that can exercise physical and cognitive skills

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When we hear the word "knitting", many of us think of sweet-looking, elderly grandmothers. However, this connotation does not do the hobby justice. Research conducted on the effectiveness of Therapeutic Knitting reveals that its benefits for mental health are remarkable. Gone are the days where knitting needles and copious amounts of yarn are the instruments of secluded senior citizens; it's 2017 and everyone should try out the hobby of knitting, because it will allow them to reap a whole lot of benefits.
Stress Reduction
The relaxed and repetitive motions of weaving the yarn between the knitting needles or crochet hook is very soothing, and helps to calm the body as well as the brain. Similar to breathing exercises and mindful meditation, which also use repetition for calming effects, the mind and body are brought to focus on the present moment, and can remove judgment from oneself, as the knitting becomes the main focus. Knitting has the ability to ease people into a state of mindfulness without them even knowing, allowing people experience the practice in a different way, and use the tool to their advantage. The movements are also very similar to a yoga flow, creating a rhythm that produces a feeling of stability and inner quiet. If you prefer to take part in more extrovertive style of the activity, hobbies like knitting, crocheting, and loom-knitting are also often done in groups, like with friends and family, or instructional classes, acting as a social activity that can combat feelings like loneliness and isolation which could otherwise contribute to other problems surrounding mental health and wellbeing.
Increased Ability to Cope with Mental (and Physical) Illness
Research suggests that the constant, soothing motion of needle art can enhance the release of Serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the body which plays a key role in mood regulation, learning, sleep, and pain perception. The meditative-like qualities produced through knitting can help people "forget" their mental and physical struggles for a certain amount of time on a day-to-day basis. Therapeutic knitting has been connected to combatting depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction, eating disorders, and chronic pain, proving that a wide variety of people could benefit from it.
Keeping Your Mind Sharp
Some of us (like myself) have never really taken a liking to math, while others find delight in the use of numbers. For those of you who like math already, this is just going to be the cherry on top of your knitting experience, because knitting is actually a good example of ways that we use math in the real world. The patterns, stitch counts, different stitch types, all require some amount of math, but what's great about it is that you may not even know you're using it. The meditative or social state you surround yourself in while knitting creates a sense of happiness and calm, allowing you to exercise your mind without feeling any strain, because you are partaking in an activity that you may find enjoyable. Keeping the brain active in this way was proven in one study to reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment, which is one of the many precursors of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of Dementia.

So, go to a craft store and pick out a spool of yarn that is calling to you, choose one of the many variations of needleart that seems most interesting to you, and experience the "feel good" effects of knitting for yourself. If you're a beginner and feel a bit worried about learning a new skill on your own, grab a friend to join in the experience. There are a lot of different resources/clubs to use to get you started in the learning process, like UCLA's iKNITiative, as well as Jeniffer Knits and Compatto Yarn Salon, which are close to campus and offer weekly drop-in classes. Alternatively, contact WHeartsTWHands@gmail.com to find out more information about my very own knitting-inspired non-profit, Warm Hearts to Warm Hands, which teaches the skill of knitting in return for one donated piece made using it. If you decide to try out Therapeutic Knitting, or already practice it, comment here and online to share your experiences with anyone interested.
Aubrey Freitas is an undergraduate student at UCLA double majoring in English Literature and Psychology with a minor in Italian. She is a blogger for the UCLA Healthy Campus Initiative in the Mind Well section, which focuses on the importance of mindfulness and mental health. Aubrey is the founder of the organization Warm Hearts to Warm Hands, which teaches the skill of knitting to people of the community in return for their donation of an article of clothing they create with the skill, to be given to local homeless shelters.

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When we hear the word "knitting", many of us think of sweet-looking, elderly grandmothers. However, this connotation does not do the hobby justice. Research conducted on the effectiveness of Therapeutic Knitting reveals that its benefits for mental health are remarkable.

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The letters Betsan Corkhill read at her magazine job poured in. One 14-year-old hospital patient wrote that she'd discovered a drug-free alternative to pain medication. Another reader wrote about how the same strategy helped her find purpose after attempting suicide. Many others wrote about how the method reduced stress.

"I realized I stumbled on something really important, something that could change the way we view long-term health problems; could change the way we view well-being," says Corkhill, a physiotherapist by training who's now a personal well-being coach in Bath, England.

What was it? Knitting. Yes, that scarf- and blanket-yielding craft that's more often perceived as a grandmother's hobby than a powerful therapy. In fact, Corkhill even used to call it "a bilateral rhythmic psychosocial intervention" to appeal to skeptical clinicians, scientists and researchers she works with as founder of Stitchlinks, a nonprofit that aims to unite therapeutic knitters, support research on the craft's health effects and serve as a resource for clinicians and other professionals interested in implementing knitting therapeutically.

"When I said, 'We're treating pain with a bilateral rhythmic psychosocial intervention,' they'd say, 'Well, that's very interesting,'" recalls Corkhill, who wrote the book "Knit for Health & Wellness: How to knit for a flexible mind and more..." "Whereas if I said, 'knitting,' they'd laugh."

But Corkhill gets the last laugh. Her work and other research and anecdotes suggest "the K-word" can reduce chronic pain, boost mood, reduce stress, treat panic attacks, combat loneliness, boost confidence, curtail caregiver burnout and more. "The science is starting to catch up with what crafters already know," says Michelle Maynard, executive director of Project Knitwell, a District of Columbia-based nonprofit that implements therapeutic knitting programs in hospitals, schools and other community sites. "When you use your hands ... there's something that happens with the brain."

Are the benefits of knitting any different than other types of creative therapies, such as painting, journaling or gardening? Therapeutic knitters say yes. The craft's two-handed, repetitive movements paired with its tactile, visual and emotional stimulation are among the aspects that make it especially effective, pros say. Knitting also offers a rare sense of control, in part because knitters can easily undo any mistakes and use that same yarn to try again. And, unlike many other crafts that require a stretch of dedicated attention, knitting can easily be picked up and put down again just a few minutes later. "There aren't many things you can take on a bus or do in bed and not disturb anyone else," says Corkhill. "That gives people a really powerful tool that they can carry around with them and use it any time they want to."

That was one benefit Lyndsay Anderson, a nurse practitioner in California, noticed when implementing a knitting intervention among oncology nurses. Her research found that the program reduced burnout most in those who felt most overwhelmed by their jobs."It's not a huge investment and it can be a great outcome - all at your own pace," she says.

Still need a reason to try your hand at the craft? Therapeutic knitters say you might especially benefit if:

One of the first things Maynard did when her husband was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer was to visit the yarn shop. The hobby saw her through many hours in hospital waiting rooms. "It helped me feel productive at times when I otherwise didn't feel productive because I was 'sitting around,'" she says. Her organization, Project Knitwell, has helped facilitate that feeling among parents of sick children, too.

Meditation can be hard - especially if you're dealing with health problems. "Your brain doesn't feel like learning anything new when it's highly stressed or in pain or when it's depressed," Corkhill says. Knitting, by contrast, is easy. "It seems a meditative-like state seems to happen as a natural side effect of the rhythmic movements of knitting," she says. A survey she conducted in partnership with Cardiff University in Wales of more than 3,500 knitters worldwide found that the more frequently they knit, the calmer and happier they felt.

The way knitters must arrange their arms - in a sort of protective arch in front of their bodies - creates a safe zone that can be particularly comforting for people who have anxiety problems, Corkhill says. She's even helped people cure panic attacks by teaching them to take out their knitting whenever they start to feel anxiety rising. "If you combine that instantaneous sense of calm with portability, then you've actually got a really powerful tool," she says. Eventually, anxiety-prone folks can learn to merely visualize themselves knitting to achieve the same effects.

4. You're down in the dumps.

If your aim is happiness - not, say, to create a Christmas gift - make sure you pick yarn that feels good to the touch and, ideally, that's one of your favorite colors. "Touch elicits an emotional response, and touching something good makes you feel good," says Corkhill, whose survey also found that the yarn's texture matters twice as much as color when it comes to improving mood.

In addition to helping her feel productive, Maynard, whose husband died a couple of years ago, appreciated how knitting in hospital waiting rooms served as a social lubricant among patients' loved ones and hospital staff alike. "If I pulled out my knitting, people would actually make eye contact and begin to talk," she says. Social knitting groups also seem to facilitate more meaningful conversation than, say, sitting around for tea, since the mental energy it takes to knit reduces knitters' tendency to self-monitor, Corkhill says.

Corkhill wasn't surprised to read that first letter about knitting's pain-relieving effects; qualitative research has supported it. Since the brain causes the experience of pain when it perceives fear, knitting can help reduce that sense of fear and increase the sense of safety, Corkhill says. The sense of success can also release feel-good chemicals in the brain that dull or inhibit the sense of pain, she says.

7. You need a confidence boost.

Save for people with medical limitations, almost anyone who dedicates a little time and effort to it can learn how to knit - an achievement that, like learning any new skill, can fire off the brain's reward circuit and inspire people to take on other challenges, Corkhill says. "[Knitting] instills confidence, it reduces fear, it reduces worry," she says. "It makes people feel worthwhile again."

11 Simple, Proven Ways to Optimize Your Mental Health

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The letters Betsan Corkhill read at her magazine job poured in. One 14-year-old hospital patient wrote that she'd discovered a drug-free alternative to pain medication. Another reader wrote about how the same strategy helped her find purpose after attempting suicide. Many others wrote about how the method reduced stress.

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Did you know that knitting can also help you cope with mental health challenges?

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The Impact of a Knitting Intervention on Compassion Fatigue in Oncology Nurses - Project Knitwell

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The Impact of a Knitting Intervention on Compassion Fatigue in Oncology Nurses by Lyndsay Anderson, MSN, OCN (R) FMP-BC and Christina Gustavson was published in the February 2016 issue of Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing. Project Knitwell participated in this published research study at MedStar…

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Interview with PK and The Therapeutic Benefits of Knitting

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Project Knitwell is proud to participate in an initiative with the Craft Yarn Council on the therapeutic value of knitting. Carol Caparosa, the founder of Project Knitwell, appeared in two videos produced by the Craft Yarn Council.

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The Craft Yarn Council Initiative - Project Knitwell

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Project Knitwell is proud to participate in an initiative with the Craft Yarn Council on the therapeutic value of knitting. Carol Caparosa, the founder of Project Knitwell, appeared in two videos produced by the Craft Yarn Council.

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Knit for Peace Survey and Literature Review

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Knit for Peace Survey and Literature Review

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Knitting is more than making fabric with two needles and yarn, it is the magic that happens when a knitter creates a story from start to finish. The yarn, the needles, the cast-on; the feel of the fibre, the intricacies of the pattern; the sewing up, the giving, and the wearing. There is magic in every click of the journey. Whether we knit for ourselves, friends and family, or for people we don't know, we pour love into every stitch.

To celebrate Debbie Bliss joining the LoveCrafts family, we've launched a campaign to hear your stories. Debbie is a passionate supporter of crafters knitting together, and there's nothing she likes better than being part of a community of knitters.

We asked our incredible community of makers, from every-day knitters to occasional hat makers, from grannies to grandchildren, designers, friends and family - why do you knit? We hope you'll enjoy hearing their journeys as much as we did - and we'd love to hear yours!

Because every knitting journey is unique. #WhyIKnit

Meet the knitters

Meet the wonderful knitters that came to share their stories with Debbie for our Why I Knit campaign. They are inspiring, beautiful and humbling - knitters of all abilities, from different backgrounds and countries. They brought with them projects that they loved, made from their favourite Debbie Bliss yarn and patterns.

Meet Celia

For Celia, nothing gives her that warm fuzzy feeling like knitting. It's the feeling you get from the moment you start choosing what to make, to the moment you start seeing it being used.

This is Celia's story of the blanket she made when her eldest child was born, and rushed straight into intensive care. Knitted in Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, this is more than a story of a blanket, it's the story of how knitting can provide a precious piece of comfort when it's needed most.

There is nothing else I've done that gives that same lovely warm fuzzy feeling...that's why I knit."

Meet Chloe

Learning to knit as a child is a life-long gift, and Chloe's first experience of knitting showed her that perseverance brings success - when it clicked, it clicked forever. Now she loves the fact that even with the same pattern, and same yarn, every knitter's results are unique.

It's such a personal thing, everybody does it their own way...the actual end piece is completely unique."

Meet Stacie and Stefanie

Stacie and Stefanie confess that since they caught the knitting bug, they can't stop starting new projects and stashing new yarn! Stefanie's friend taught her to knit on a train - and we have no doubt that little Violet will be knitting as soon as she is old enough.

I like the challenge, the challenge is half of it for me. But at the end of the day I love to be able to give a piece of myself to other people."

Debbie Bliss' #whyiknit story

I love knitting for people I love...and knowing that someone's going to really love it when I give to them - that's why I knit."

Debbie loves knitting, particularly hand knitting, and she has great regard for the historical aspect of skills and stitches passed down through time. She loves designing things for women to wear that they feel comfortable wearing, and that flatters their silhouette.

Why do you knit?

Follow us on Instagram or Facebook and share your own #whyiknit story.

Knitting (v) (nit-ting), to knit: to create fabric with two needles and yarn; to make, to give, to share, to soothe, to comfort, to warm, to love...."

Shop Debbie Bliss

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Why I Knit with Debbie Bliss and LoveKnitting | LoveCrafts

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Knitting is more than making fabric with two needles and yarn, it is the magic that happens when a knitter creates a story from start to finish. The yarn, the needles, the cast-on; the feel of the fibre, the intricacies of the pattern; the sewing up, the giving, and the wearing.

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The Benefits of Knitting for Personal and Social Wellbeing in Adulthood: Findings from an International Survey

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International Survey on Benefits of Knitting

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International Survey on Benefits of Knitting

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Survey by Authors Jill Riley, Betsan Corkhill, Clare Morris

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Handmaking as well-being — The Craft Sessions

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So the other day I went to a school information night and on the way I was listening to a podcast where Russell Brand is interviewing Sam Harris. And Sam said this (at around 28.47); “Ideas are the most powerful thing we’ve got. Ideas are the operating system for human life and human culture.” He

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Abstract

This paper explains an experiential therapeutic technique that incorporated a knitting program within the context of a group therapy program at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center for women. The knitting program has been successful in facilitating discussions and improving the milieu, and beneficial in providing a skill for moderating stress and emotions, both for inpatient and outpatient clients. This paper describes the program and outlines its benefits.

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Knitting Through Recovery One Stitch at a Time

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Abstract This paper explains an experiential therapeutic technique that incorporated a knitting program within the context of a group therapy program at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center for women. The knitting program has been successful in facilitating discussions and improving the milieu, and beneficial in providing a skill for moderating stress and emotions, both for inpatient and outpatient clients.

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Aging adults are vulnerable to the effects of a negative emotional state. The relaxation response (RR) is a mind–body intervention that counteracts the harmful effects of stress.

More on the Relaxation Response:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/using-the-relaxation-response-to-reduce-stress-20101110780

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Summary

Aging adults are vulnerable to the effects of a negative emotional state. The relaxation response (RR) is a mind-body intervention that counteracts the harmful effects of stress. Previous studies with relaxation techniques have shown the non-pharmacological benefit of reducing stress and improving the memory of healthy older adults. Our pilot study evaluated whether a RR training program would decrease anxiety levels, improve attention, declarative memory performance and/or decrease salivary cortisol levels in healthy older adults. Fifteen adults participated and were randomly assigned to a RR training or control groups. Mean age was 71.3 years and mean education level was 17.9 years. Reaction time on a simple attention/psychomotor task was significantly improved ( p<0.0025) with RR training, whereas there was no significant improvement on complex tasks of attention, verbal, or visual declarative memory tests. Self-reported state anxiety levels showed a marginally significant reduction ( p<0.066). All subjects' salivary cortisol levels were within low-normal range and did not significantly change. Our 5-week program in highly educated, mobile, healthy, aging adults significantly improved performance on a simple attention task.

KEYWORDS

Relaxation response training

Recommended articles Citing articles (0)
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The relaxation response: Reducing stress and improving cognition in healthy aging adults

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Aging adults are vulnerable to the effects of a negative emotional state. The relaxation response (RR) is a mind-body intervention that counteracts the harmful effects of stress. Previous studies with relaxation techniques have shown the non-pharmacological benefit of reducing stress and improving the memory of healthy older adults.

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FOR MIND BODY MEDICINE AT MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL

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Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine

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Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine

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Dr. Herbert Benson, MD, Director Emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute of Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Mind Body Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, also found that a person could bring about the relaxation response using any number of meditative techniques, such as repetitive prayer, qigong, tai chi, yoga, progressive muscle relaxation, belly breathing, even activities like knitting.

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How we use our hands can shape our minds.

Your hands use over 60% of the surface area of your brain.

Neuroscientists talk about the plasticity of our brain and how we can reformat and redirect it.

Wilson's discussion of how even in ancient cultures the rhythmic use of worry stones, mala beads, etc are very similar to knitting.

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Not for the faint hearted.

This is an excellent and in-depth examination of how human hands have shaped our intellect, our society, and our culture.

It can be methodical in the analysis but this is necessary to make several of the connections that the author asserts.

I recommend the book for anyone who works in the medical field, the arts, or in manual labour. As a health educator in the field of aviation, it is invaluable as a resource and as a way to understand my clients.

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Not for the faint hearted. This is an excellent and in-depth examination of how human hands have shaped our intellect, our society, and our culture. It can be methodical in the analysis but this is necessary to make several of the connections that the author asserts.

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Managing anxiety in eating disorders with knitting

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Managing anxiety in eating disorders with knitting

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Citation: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19367130/

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Why knitting can help you feel less anxious by Dr. Mia Hobbs

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Why knitting can help you feel less anxious

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By Dr Mia Hobbs I have always had a drive to make things with my hands, which has taken various forms over the years, from cross stitch to cake decorating, but (despite being a clinical psychologist!), it took me several years to recognise the positive impact that craft was having on my mental health.

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25 Ways TK Can Help Cope with Addiction ITCC

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Purl Stitch - the opposite of the knit stitch

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Purl Stitch (after mastering the knit stitch)

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Purl Stitch (after mastering the knit stitch)

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Insert right needle back to front, right to left
Always having working yarn in the front of your work to purl

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Purl Stitch - v e r y p i n k . c o m - knitting patterns and video tutorials

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Purl Stitch - VeryPink offers knitting patterns and video tutorials from Staci Perry. Short technique videos and longer pattern tutorials to take your knitting skills to the next level.

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This sampler right to left includes:

Garter - all knit rows - bumpy on both sides, reversible

Stockinette - one row knit, next row purl, repeat - smooth on knit side, bumpy on purl side

Moss/Seed Stitch - knit 1, purl 1 across the row, and then purl 1, knit 1 next row, repeat

Checkerboard - choose the size of the box, knit X, purl X, repeat in pattern

Stripes - carry yarn carefully up the side, can twist it with working yarn

Marling - holding two strands of contrasting yarn together

Ribbing - you can decide if you want it to be 2x2 or 3x3 etc depending on the width - creates a stretchy elastic fabric that can be used for sweater cuffs or borders on hats

Eyelets - add yarn over increase followed by knit2 together decrease in any pattern to create intentional holes - can be used as button holes or in lace work

Textured Stripes - randomly knit on the purl side or purl on the knit side of a stockinette fabric

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Yarn can always be unraveled! All mistakes are actually a technique if repeated in a pattern.

Even the most advanced knitters make mistakes, but they have learned techniques to fix the hiccups.

One of the most common mistakes is not completing the 4th step and pulling off the previous loop.

This can lead to double knitting which will increase the number of stitches left on your needle.

Knitting too tight? You may be adding your new loop too close to the tip of the needle. Use the full girth of the needle as you add each loop and do not pull too tightly.

Knitting too loose? You may need to pull your working yarn tail tighter. Your goal is to create even loops a little larger than the size of the needle so they can slide.

Splitting the yarn ply? Most yarn is made up of twisted strands and the sharper the point on your needle the more often you may poke through those ply strands. If that happens you can knit it together with the stitch or try to rejoin it with the original loop.

Too few stitches? You may have dropped a stitch and you can add a stitch back or find it to pick back up. Too many stitches or did you create a hole in your knitting? You may have accidentally increased.

The side stitches at the end of the row are sometimes stretched out or difficult to keep even. Be sure that you are only poking into the loop that is on the needle (not the big loop on the previous row below it which is especially prominent on the edges).

Too many? Accidental Increase

https://verypink.com/2010/03/13/video-accidental-increases/

Too few?  Dropped Stitch

Stockinette:  https://youtu.be/LlwYIyMmBwc

Garter:  https://youtu.be/Da79sRCWgw4

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There are dozens of ways to cast on. This is the knitted cast on.

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Removing stitches from the needle and making an edge to your work when you are finished. There are many ways to bind off.

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Dissertation from University of Helsinki

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Unraveling the meaning of textile hobby crafts

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Unraveling the meaning of textile hobby crafts

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When members of a Google sales team gathered at their New York office on a recent evening for a team-building exercise, they were greeted with bottles of sparkling wine, flowers and some distressing news.

"For the next 20 minutes, you will want to kill us," instructor Sophie Thimonnier told the group. "It's overwhelming at the beginning, but then you will feel good."

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In Mindful Knitting, It's the Journey, Not the Scarf

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When members of a Google sales team gathered at their New York office on a recent evening for a team-building exercise, they were greeted with bottles of sparkling wine, flowers and some distressing news. "For the next 20 minutes, you will want to kill us," instructor Sophie Thimonnier told the group.

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Also, Psychology Today:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/open-gently/201311/should-you-knit

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About 15 years ago, I was invited to join a knitting group. My reluctant response - "When would I do that?" - was rejoined with "Monday afternoons at 4," at a friend's home not three minutes' walk from my own. I agreed to give it a try.

My mother had taught me to knit at 15, and I knitted in class throughout college and for a few years thereafter. Then decades passed without my touching a knitting needle. But within two Mondays in the group, I was hooked, not only on knitting but also on crocheting, and I was on my way to becoming a highly productive crafter.

I've made countless afghans, baby blankets, sweaters, vests, shawls, scarves, hats, mittens, caps for newborns and two bedspreads. I take a yarn project with me everywhere, especially when I have to sit still and listen. As I'd discovered in college, when my hands are busy, my mind stays focused on the here and now.

It seems, too, that I'm part of a national resurgence of interest in needle and other handicrafts, and not just among old grannies like me. The Craft Yarn Council reports that a third of women ages 25 to 35 now knit or crochet. Even men and schoolchildren are swelling the ranks, among them my friend's three grandsons, ages 6, 7 and 9.

Last April, the council created a "Stitch Away Stress" campaign in honor of National Stress Awareness Month. Dr. Herbert Benson, a pioneer in mind/body medicine and author of "The Relaxation Response," says that the repetitive action of needlework can induce a relaxed state like that associated with meditation and yoga. Once you get beyond the initial learning curve, knitting and crocheting can lower heart rate and blood pressure and reduce harmful blood levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

But unlike meditation, craft activities result in tangible and often useful products that can enhance self-esteem. I keep photos of my singular accomplishments on my cellphone to boost my spirits when needed.

Since the 1990s, the council has surveyed hundreds of thousands of knitters and crocheters, who routinely list stress relief and creative fulfillment as the activities' main benefits. Among them is the father of a prematurely born daughter who reported that during the baby's five weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit, "learning how to knit preemie hats gave me a sense of purpose during a time that I felt very helpless. It's a hobby that I've stuck with, and it continues to help me cope with stress at work, provide a sense of order in hectic days, and allows my brain time to solve problems."

A recent email from the yarn company Red Heart titled "Health Benefits of Crocheting and Knitting" prompted me to explore what else might be known about the health value of activities like knitting. My research revealed that the rewards go well beyond replacing stress and anxiety with the satisfaction of creation.

For example, Karen Zila Hayes, a life coach in Toronto, conducts knitting therapy programs, including Knit to Quit to help smokers give up the habit, and Knit to Heal for people coping with health crises, like a cancer diagnosis or serious illness of a family member. Schools and prisons with craft programs report that they have a calming effect and enhance social skills. And having to follow instructions on complex craft projects can improve children's math skills.

Some people find that craftwork helps them control their weight. Just as it is challenging to smoke while knitting, when hands are holding needles and hooks, there's less snacking and mindless eating out of boredom.

I've found that my handiwork with yarn has helped my arthritic fingers remain more dexterous as I age. A woman encouraged to try knitting and crocheting after developing an autoimmune disease that caused a lot of hand pain reported on the Craft Yarn Council site that her hands are now less stiff and painful.

A 2009 University of British Columbia study of 38 women with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa who were taught to knit found that learning the craft led to significant improvements. Seventy-four percent of the women said the activity lessened their fears and kept them from ruminating about their problem.

Betsan Corkhill, a wellness coach in Bath, England, and author of the book "Knit for Health & Wellness," established a website, Stitchlinks, to explore the value of what she calls therapeutic knitting. Among her respondents, 54 percent of those who were clinically depressed said that knitting made them feel happy or very happy. In a study of 60 self-selected people with chronic pain, Ms. Corkhill and colleagues reported that knitting enabled them to redirect their focus, reducing their awareness of pain. She suggested that the brain can process just so much at once, and that activities like knitting and crocheting make it harder for the brain to register pain signals. More of Stitchlinks findings are available at their website.

Perhaps most exciting is research that suggests that crafts like knitting and crocheting may help to stave off a decline in brain function with age. In a 2011 study, researchers led by Dr. Yonas E. Geda, a psychiatrist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., interviewed a random sample of 1,321 people ages 70 to 89, most of whom were cognitively normal, about the cognitive activities they engaged in late in life. The study, published in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences, found that those who engaged in crafts like knitting and crocheting had a diminished chance of developing mild cognitive impairment and memory loss.

Although it is possible that only people who are cognitively healthy would pursue such activities, those who read newspapers or magazines or played music did not show similar benefits. The researchers speculate that craft activities promote the development of neural pathways in the brain that help to maintain cognitive health.

In support of that suggestion, a 2014 study by Denise C. Park of the University of Texas at Dallas and colleagues demonstrated that learning to quilt or do digital photography enhanced memory function in older adults. Those who engaged in activities that were not intellectually challenging, either in a social group or alone, did not show such improvements.

Given that sustained social contacts have been shown to support health and longevity, those wishing to maximize the health value of crafts might consider joining a group of like-minded folks. I for one try not to miss a single weekly meeting of my knitting group.
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About 15 years ago, I was invited to join a knitting group. My reluctant response - "When would I do that?" - was rejoined with "Monday afternoons at 4," at a friend's home not three minutes' walk from my own. I agreed to give it a try.

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Last year, looking to find a way of winding down that didn't involve listening to avant-garde jazz while hoovering up a large gin, I started knitting. To make it seem more masculine and samurai (they did flower arranging) I picked a gunmetal-grey wool, the kind you might fashion into a snood for an AK-47.

My initial attempts - all my attempts - looked as though they were created in a secure ward using stolen pencils and clumps of hair. Even so, I felt relaxed, as if tension was leaving my body and being transformed into the start of a really terrible jumper.

I'm not the only one to have cottoned on to the therapeutic benefits of knitting. The Wall Street Journal reports that Google has

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'Medknitation' - could mindful knitting relieve corporate stress?

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Last year, looking to find a way of winding down that didn't involve listening to avant-garde jazz while hoovering up a large gin, I started knitting.

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Before the anxiety took hold - suddenly, suffocatingly - when I was nineteen, I didn't get why people "let" fear or nerves get in the way of things. Of course, this is both a thing of naiveté and a result of that youthful disregard for mortality, along with never having experienced a disturbance in the mental force before.

That's probably why it was so shocking when the first panic attack hit, unexpectedly in a Nordstrom in LA. I remember shaking, frozen, the weight of the clothes dragging me down. Was the dress I was looking at so egregiously offensive as to cause this? When a salesperson came to ask if I needed help, I remember screaming inside. But why?

I didn't understand then what I get now. My best friend from high school, a sister really, had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of stage three breast cancer at only nineteen. Though she was confident, strong, and optimistic until the end, we were all terrified. They say getting close to death, watching others die or dying yourself, gives you renewed license on life. Not so for me. I became unrecognizable to myself. I grew cautious, reserved, fearful, angry, heavy - anxious all the time.

My anxiety is a high frequency vibration. I envision it as those weird ab belts from the infomercials, the ones that shake you violently until you've got a killer waistline. Anxiety shook me, at all hours of the day. I disappeared, physically, mentally. I stopped taking flights since I couldn't control what happened once the cabin doors closed (and since I had developed an embarrassing tendency to sweat and claw my way onto seatmates for comfort). I stopped reading books because the ink always seemed faded, my mind unable to absorb the words that wavered on the page, as though an earthquake were threatening below me. I lost weight, and with it, a good portion of the hair on my head ("Try washing it with your own pee," a friend suggested.) I obsessively picked out my left eyebrow and eyelashes. The eyelashes left mascara marks on my thumb and forefinger, and I smudged black on everything I touched.

Therapy didn't help. Yoga triggered dry-heaving panic attacks. Meditation made more vibrant the darkness in my mind, while medication made me too numb. When I relocated to San Francisco for work, everything grew worse and I started crying in public, randomly, walking the streets alone or held against coworkers in the bathroom. Normally, I don't like to be touched, and I shy away from emotion (#INTP), but here I was, at emotion's mercy.

Eventually, my mom noticed. She was not pleased because I was ruining my face, and letting this anxiety ruin me too. I felt I'd tried everything. I felt hopeless. I told her that.

"Try knitting," she said, claiming it would keep my hands busy and off my face. She was reaching even deeper, not ready to let me give up, an example of truly incredible motherhood.

There are countless studies done on the various benefits of knitting. From helping people with anorexia control a craft over a food, to offsetting the cognitive degeneration that comes with aging, knitting is a simultaneous stress-reliever and mind-sharpener.

Because I felt I'd exhausted other options, I welcomed this one as a why-not. So I got some cheap yarn and needles from the craft store, YouYube'd "how to knit," and was immediately hooked. All that nervous energy, that discomfort in my skin, the unquiet of my mind, disappeared. I saw glimpses of who I used to be - curious, ambitious, stubborn - as I tried over and over again to get the yarn on the needles, to understand how to purl. From the very first slipknot to the last woven-in end, knitting requires your undivided attention. Counting stitches and rows forces focus. Fancy techniques take research, practice, and concentration. The repetitive motion becomes a meditation. Stick your needle through a loop, wrap the yarn around it, pull it through, repeat again and again and again and again. When something grows in front of you, something you've created with your hands, you grow with it.

There's something called tension in knitting. It's how loose or tight you make your loops, how you control the flow of your yarn. The evenness in your hands is crucial to getting tension right, otherwise your sweater could end up as your (future) child's sweater instead. The first few pieces I made were terrible. I was still vibrating at the highest frequency, and it showed. I ruined too much yarn by knitting too tight, broke needle after needle by pressing the weight of my mental burdens into them. But a few months in, I noticed a change.

I was working on a scarf for my mother's birthday. The scarf had started out narrow and stiff, the edges curled in unhappily on themselves, swallowing the lace holes into nothingness. But towards the top, the rows were looser, the pattern showed through, and the fabric softened up. I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time when I held that scarf: stillness. I felt I could see myself again. So I kept going.

A year later, I left the country for the first time in seven years. Besides braving the international flight, I managed to stay up for most of it without bothering any passengers or crew. I saw the Pacific ocean below, tranquil, the sun weak and pastel over the large quiet of that untouched earth. I clutched my yarn and my needles, pressed my feet into the floor and repeated as I made each loop, "I'm OK."

It's been a little over two years since I started knitting. My anxiety still hits sometimes as it probably will for forever, but I don't live in fear of it anymore. I moved cross-country alone, started traveling. I've picked up books again, gotten back into yoga. I've stopped walking around feeling shattered. I'm happy to report my hair, my eyebrow, and lashes are back in all their thick, black, awkwardly curly glory (no urine involved).
More Anxiety-Quelling Stories:

1. Gina Rodriguez Opens Up About Her Anxiety on Instagram

2. How to Adjust Your Beauty Routine for the Apocalypse

3. 8 Ways to Cope With Traumatic News When It's Everywhere You Look

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Anxiety Was Ruining My Life Until I Took Up This Surprising Hobby

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Before the anxiety took hold - suddenly, suffocatingly - when I was nineteen, I didn't get why people "let" fear or nerves get in the way of things. Of course, this is both a thing of naiveté and a result of that youthful disregard for mortality, along with never having experienced a disturbance in the mental force before.

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Ten Things I Learned From Knitting

by Ann Hood

Who knew that by learning to knit, we also learn how to live?

A personal account of one woman knitting through the loss of her young daughter.

https://tinhouse.com/ten-things-i-learned-from-knitting/

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Frances Reynolds, numerous related studies

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Frances Reynolds, numerous related studies

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Use of Creative Arts as a Complementary Therapy by Rural Women Coping With Chronic Illness 

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Abstract

Abstract
This quasi-experimental study investigated the impact of visual art making on the cortisol levels of 39 healthy adults. Participants provided saliva samples to assess cortisol levels before and after 45 minutes of art making. Participants also provided written responses about the experience at the end of the session. Results indicate that art making resulted in statistically significant lowering of cortisol levels. Participants' written responses indicated that they found the art-making session to be relaxing, enjoyable, helpful for learning about new aspects of self, freeing from constraints, an evolving process of initial struggle to later resolution, and about flow/losing themselves in the work. They also reflected that the session evoked a desire to make art in the future. There were weak associations between changes in cortisol level and age, time of day, and participant responses related to learning about one's self and references to an evolving process in art making. There were no significant differences in outcomes based on prior experiences with art making, media choice, or gender.

Introduction

Efforts have been underway in the past decade to examine the biological substrate of creative self-expression (Pennebaker, 1997; Smyth, Hockmeyer, & Tulloch, 2008). In particular, salivary cortisol has been examined as a noninvasive biomarker and a proxy measure for the experience of stress in humans (Smyth et al., 1997; Smyth et al., 1998). Cortisol is a glucocorticoid hormone and one of the most widely studied markers of stress (Staufenbiel, Penninx, Spijker, Elzinga, & van Rossum, 2013). The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis) regulates reactions to stress and HPA axis dysfunction is associated with physiological stress in the body (Engelmann, Landgraf, & Wotjak, 2004). Measurement of cortisol levels is indicative of HPA dysfunction and a stress response is typically associated with increases in cortisol levels.

Several clinical studies have reported reductions in salivary cortisol levels after behavioral interventions to reduce stress (Aboulafia-Brakha, Suchecki, Gouveia-Paulino, Nitrini, & Ptak, 2014; Galvin, Benson, Deckro, Fricchione, & Dusek, 2006; Miluk-Kolasa, Obminski, Stupnicki, & Golec, 1993). Specifically, saliva contains free, biologically active cortisol as opposed to total cortisol present in serum or plasma. Importantly, the concentration of cortisol in saliva is independent of the salivary flow rate and is strongly correlated with serum cortisol concentrations (Bozovic, Racic, & Ivkovic, 2013). Salivary cortisol levels increase 5 minutes after an increase in plasma levels and are strongly correlated with plasma levels (Lucassen & Cizza, 2012). Expressive writing has been found to be related to long-term improvements in health (Pennebaker, 1997) and lowered stress levels (Smyth et al., 2008). Like expressive writing, evidence suggests that music and art are two interventions that may have a positive effect on psychological states and on biomarkers (Chanda & Levitin, 2013; Lai & Li, 2011; Stuckey & Nobel, 2010). Patients with serious health issues have used art as a therapeutic approach to help reduce stress and anxiety and express emotions (Reynolds & Lim, 2007). In a randomized controlled trial, individuals with breast cancer displayed improved well-being through the reduction of negative emotions and the enhancement of positive emotions using art (Puig, Lee, Goodwin, & Sherrard, 2006). In a qualitative study, researchers provided descriptive accounts of how caregivers used art to lessen symptoms of compassion fatigue and reduce their stress (Samoray, 2006). For patients with chronic illness, art has aided in improving overall health and well-being by distracting individuals from thoughts of illness, improving self-identity, and providing a social network (Reynolds & Prior, 2003).

There are a small number of studies indicating reduced stress resulting from visual art making. Artistic expression appears to lower stress in various health settings for both patients and family caregivers. For example, Lawson et al. ( 2012) found in their wait-list control study (pretest/posttest crossover design) that 1 hour of art making, which consisted of using brushes and paint to decorate a tile under the supervision of a student volunteer, decreased cortisol levels and helped to reduce feelings of sluggishness and improve concentration in people receiving blood and marrow transplants. In another pilot study, Walsh, Radcliffe, Castillo, Kumar, and Broschard ( 2007) tested the effects of an art-making class on family caregivers ( N = 69) of patients diagnosed with various forms of cancer. Their quasi-experimental pretest/posttest study employed a 2-hour art class. The results, although not statistically significant, did show a reduction in stress as measured by levels of salivary cortisol.

Research shows promise for studying art making with cortisol as a biological indicator to measure changes in stress response in patients and their caregivers. Most studies, however, have tested art activities (Lawson et al., 2012; Mercer, Warson, & Zhao, 2010; Walsh et al., 2007) and used a specific art task or directive that may have influenced the outcomes. Thus it is unclear how structuring the session for free creative self-expression, viewed as similar as possible to an actual therapy situation and facilitated by an art therapist, would lower the stress response. In addition, the role of media, theoretically identified as ranging from structured to unstructured and having differential effects (Lusebrink, 1990), has not yet been examined empirically. With the limited understanding of the physiological and concurrent psychological changes that result from art making, these gaps demonstrate a need for further research using biomarkers as a measure of stress. In addition, given that there are some potential emergent differences between artists' and non-artists' physiological responses to art making (Belkofer, Van Hecke, & Konopka, 2014), there is a need to better understand the role of prior experiences with art making on stress-related outcomes following art making.

The purpose of this study was to examine the outcomes of art making in the context of making art with a facilitating art therapist who was also the primary researcher. The first author provided the structure of time and art materials and participants were free to create imagery of their choice. The study design was a quasi-experimental (pretest/posttest with no control group) study. The hypotheses guiding our study were that art making would result in reduced cortisol levels; greater changes in cortisol reduction for those with prior art-making experience; and greater changes in cortisol reduction for participants who used art media such as clay compared with participants using more structured media such as collage or markers. We also collected brief written responses from participants in order to better understand their individual subjective experiences related to art making. These narrative responses were collected as the qualitative component of the study in order to determine whether and how the subjective experiences might relate to changes in cortisol levels.

Method

Participants

Participants included 39 students, staff, and faculty ages 18 to 59 years, ( M = 38.88, SD = 12.69) from a large university in an urban area. There were 33 women and 6 men. The racial/ethnic makeup of the participants was African American ( n = 2), Asian American ( n = 13), White ( n = 13), and multiracial ( n = 3). There were 18 participants who reported that they had limited prior experience with art making, 13 who reported some experience, and 8 who reported extensive experience.

Materials and Procedures

The Institutional Review Board of the University approved the study. After receiving this approval, we recruited participants using both an e-mail sent to university listservs and printed flyers posted around campus. The flyer described the study as examining the health outcomes of visual self-expression, and participants were invited to schedule a time to take part in the study led by an art therapy faculty member. The study was described as including a 1-hour session that included approximately 45 minutes of art making and an additional 15 minutes for consent and data collection before and after the session. Data were collected over a 4-month time period in a dedicated art-therapy studio space in one of the university buildings. Given that this was a pilot study, a sample of 35 was identified as the minimum number of participants required for a medium effect size.

Each participant first completed procedures for informed consent. Previous levels of art-making experience were determined by verbally requesting this information prior to the intervention. Responses were coded as limited or no art-making experience, some prior art-making experience, or extensive prior art-making experience. Participants also provided a small sample of saliva using the Sarstedt Salivette saliva collection tool prior to art making.

After the completion of these pretest procedures, participants were invited to make art using collage materials, modeling clay, and/or markers. Participants were told that they had the option of creating any kind of imagery using the three media choices individually or in combination. They were also told that there was no expectation of creating a final artwork but that they were welcome to work with the materials as they chose. Most participants created their own artwork without any directive but the first author was available to provide any assistance and followed the lead of the participants regarding the level of conversation and interaction they sought while making art. For example, if participants chose to talk during the session, the first author responded in conversation and if they chose to work silently, the first author remained quietly present. Similarly if they requested help with executing an idea for their work, the first author helped them and, if not, stayed present and available. After they had completed their work, participants were invited to share any aspect of their work and/or experiences verbally. After the art-making experience a second saliva sample was collected, using the same procedure, and participants then were asked to share a brief (one to two line) written description of their experience with the art making and the imagery in their art.

The study's pretest and posttest saliva samples were then transported on ice to a certified lab at the university where they were analyzed using the ELISA kit method. The data from the lab analysis of the saliva were available in unit measures of ng/ml (nanograms/milliliter). To further ensure against any potential bias in the analysis, the analyst in the lab was blind to the source of the samples and did not know whether they were pre or posttest data. The samples were also analyzed in duplicate in order to reduce any errors in single sample analysis.

Data Analysis

The data from cortisol levels and participant demographics were entered into an Excel file and imported for analysis into SPSS. The data were first summarized using descriptive statistics. Next, the mean pretest and posttest data cortisol values were compared using a paired samples t test. The changes in cortisol levels were also examined in relation to participants' self-reported levels of expertise with art making and media choice using a one-way ANOVA. An independent t test was performed to compare changes in cortisol based on gender. Correlations were also computed to assess changes related to age of participants and time of day.

The written responses were compiled in response to the question, "What was it like to make art during this session?" These were collected and entered into a textual document and analyzed using Riessman's ( 2008) method for thematic analysis. The narratives were coded independently for open codes by the first and second authors. The codes generated were compared and those that were similar were combined. Those that differed were resolved through discussion and combined into a mutually agreed upon set of codes. The first and second authors then coded the responses again and identified seven distinct themes. Once the responses were coded, each theme was attributed a dichotomous numerical value (1 = theme present or 0 = theme not present) for each participant. The qualitative responses were thus converted into numeric data and then entered into the quantitative database to examine how and to what extent the narrative responses related to changes in cortisol levels.

Results

Changes in participants' pretest/posttest stress levels were measured via salivary cortisol (measured in nanograms/milliliter). A paired-sample t test indicated significant reductions in cortisol following the intervention. Mean scores for cortisol levels pretest ( M = 17.85, SD = 5.11) and posttest ( M = 14.77, SD = 5.06), t(38) = 4.54, p < .01, differed significantly. Cortisol levels ranged from 32.40 ng/ml to 5.05 ng/ml at pretest and from 25.00 ng/ml to 5.01 ng/ml at posttest. See Figure 1 for the changes in mean cortisol levels before and after art making.

Reduction of Cortisol Levels and Participants' Responses Following Art Making

23 May 2016

As can be seen in Figure 1, the mean cortisol levels were significantly lower after art making, even though the change was not consistent across participants. The levels were lowered more for some than for others. The area graph in Figure 2 reveals the changes in cortisol levels as they varied across all participants. The pretest and posttest levels were, however, strongly correlated, r = 0.61, p < .001. This indicates that overall those with higher pretest cortisol levels had higher posttest scores and similarly those with lower pretest scores also had lower posttest scores. Overall, the cortisol levels were lowered after art making for approximately 75% of the sample. Cortisol levels stayed unchanged or were elevated for about 25%. Figure 3 highlights this range in change of cortisol levels with an area graph showing changes across all participants.

Reduction of Cortisol Levels and Participants' Responses Following Art Making

23 May 2016

Reduction of Cortisol Levels and Participants' Responses Following Art Making

23 May 2016

As can be seen in Figures 2 and 3, there was considerable variation across participants even though the overall results indicated a statistically significant reduction in cortisol. We further sought to examine whether these differences between participants might be related to other variables like age, gender, race/ethnicity, time of day, prior experience with art-making, or type of art media used.

Prior Experience With Art Making

The relationship between prior experience with art making and cortisol levels was examined using a one-way ANOVA. Results indicated that there were no significant differences based on prior experiences (limited experience, M = −2.43, SD = 3.91; some experience, M = −4.24, SD = 5.59; and extensive experience, M = −3.0, SD = 3.99) on cortisol levels, F(2, 36) = 0.64, p = .53.

Media Choice

Participants had the option of using collage, model magic clay, fine-tip markers, or any combination thereof. Given these, 13 participants used collage, 9 used clay, 6 used markers, 4 used a combination of markers and clay, 3 used a combination of collage and clay, 3 used a combination of collage and markers, and 1 used a combination of all media. The relationship between media choice and change in cortisol was examined using a one-way ANOVA. Results indicated that there were no significant differences based on media choice on change in cortisol level, F(7, 31) = 0.47, p = .85.

Race/Ethnicity

The relationship between race and ethnicity and change in cortisol was examined using a one-way ANOVA. Results indicated that there were no significant differences between race/ethnicity, Asian American, M = −2.51, SD = 4.47; African American, M = 1.45, SD = 8.41; White, M = −3.53, SD = 4.26; and multiracial, M = −5.40, SD = 4.13, on changes in cortisol levels, F(3, 35) = 1.08, p = .37.

Gender

The relationships between gender and change in cortisol levels for men ( M = −3.86, SD = 2.12) and women ( M = −2.93, SD = 4.83) were examined using an independent t test. The results indicated that there were no significant differences based on gender on changes in cortisol, t(37) = .456, p = .65.

Age

The relationship between age and changes in cortisol levels was examined using a bivariate correlation. Results indicated that there was a weak positive correlation between age and changes in cortisol levels, r(37) = 0.22, p = .18. This indicates that younger participants were more likely to demonstrate lowering in cortisol levels compared with older participants. The relationship was very weak so this difference needs to be interpreted with caution.

Time of Day

Because cortisol levels tend to be highest in the morning and steadily decline throughout the day (Debono et al., 2009; Lupien, King, Meaney, & McEwen, 2000), we wanted to determine the influence of time, if any, on relationships between variables. Time of day was coded using a continuous scale mapped onto the 24-hour day (e.g., 1 pm was coded as 13, 2 pm as 14, etc.). Using a bivariate correlation, we found that there was a moderate positive relationship between the time of day that cortisol was collected and difference in cortisol scores before and after art making, r(39) = .29, p = .038.

Taken together these findings indicate that changes in cortisol levels were seen across demographic characteristics and were not related to age, gender, or race/ethnicity. In addition, changes in cortisol levels were also unrelated to participants' prior experiences with art making or media choice.

Participant Responses to Art Making

In order to assess whether the individual level variation in the changes in cortisol levels could be explained further based on participants' narrative responses, the data were examined for content related to the self-reported perceived impact of art making. The written responses indicated that participants' perceptions of the art-making experience were varied. Some referred to it as relaxing, a stress reliever during a busy work day; others referred to it as being fun and enjoyable, a form of distraction, and a reminder of childhood. Several participants reflected on the absence of art in their adult lives and how the experience reminded them of a time when they had last made art as a child. Seven themes emerged from analysis of participants' responses to art making: feeling relaxed ( n = 19); feeling pleasure/enjoyment ( n = 19); learning something new about one's self ( n = 15); feeling free from constraints ( n = 13); experiencing an evolving process of change in art making from initial struggle to later resolution ( n = 12); feeling a sense of flow/losing themselves in the work ( n = 11); and having a desire to make art in the future ( n = 3). Some narratives included more than one theme.

To examine whether responses could be related to changes in cortisol levels, we attributed a numeric value for the occurrence of each theme and checked for correlations with individual changes in cortisol levels. This indicated that themes were not strongly correlated with changes in cortisol levels. Controlling for time of day, two themes correlated with changes in cortisol: evolving process, r(39) = 0.27, p = .11], and learning about one's self, r(39) = 0.22, p = .19. Participants who reported going through a process of initial struggle to later creating something they liked and those who reported learning about self through the process of art making were slightly more likely to demonstrate lowering of cortisol levels.

Images and titles of three participants' artwork are provided in Figures 4, 5, and 6. Figure 4 depicts artwork created by a 24-year-old White man, which he titled The Evolution of a Seed of an Idea. Referring to the art-making experience, he said, "I was tentative and careful at first, but once I found my concept in the magazine materials everything flowed naturally and freely. I actually went from perceiving too much to feeling like time moved too fast." He went on to say: "My imagination was fully engaged by the end." A 29-year-old Asian American woman created Figure 5, which she described by writing, "This is my representation of City Hall. I see it every day on my way to work," going on she said, "I found the experience of making this piece to be enjoyable and 'liberating' in that I didn't have to be restricted by rules or procedures." A 38-year-old African American woman created Figure 6, which she said was about the idea of homes/homelessness. She described the art-making experience as follows: "It was very relaxing. After about 5 minutes, I felt less anxious. I was able to obsess less about things that I had not done or need[ed] to get done. Doing art allowed me to put things into perspective."

Reduction of Cortisol Levels and Participants' Responses Following Art Making

Reduction of Cortisol Levels and Participants' Responses Following Art Making

Reduction of Cortisol Levels and Participants' Responses Following Art Making

Discussion

Our main hypothesis, that there would be a lowering of salivary cortisol as a result of visual art making, was supported by the results. Additional hypotheses were not supported: Those with prior levels of experience with art making or who used less structured media did not show greater reductions in cortisol. Also, there were no associations between reduction of cortisol and age, gender, or race/ethnicity. We found weak correlations between changes in cortisol levels and age of participants and time of day. Controlling for age and time of day, weak positive correlations were found between changes in cortisol levels and the themes of evolving process and learning about self. Results indicate that a brief experience of art making produced physiological changes in most participants, indicating that art making can lower cortisol levels regardless of prior experience with art, media type, or demographics.

Previous studies have demonstrated some change in cortisol levels as a result of an art task (Lawson et al., 2012; Walsh et al., 2007). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate reductions in cortisol levels in healthy adults as a result of art making in a format structured to be similar to an art therapy session. We also examined participants' written responses to the experience, which allowed for a more complete understanding of its impact. Written responses indicated that some themes (evolving process and learning about self) were associated with greater lowering of cortisol than other themes, though the correlations were weak. These results have to be viewed with caution because of this, together with the small sample size.

Art making is an enjoyable or relaxing experience for some, whereas for others it is associated with freedom of expression, evokes a flow experience, stimulates insight, and provides a way to learn about one's self. Further research is needed to better understand how these experiences are related to changes in cortisol levels and stress reduction.

Although results overall were statistically significant, reductions in cortisol levels were not consistent for all participants. Levels were lowered for about 75% of the sample ( n = 30). This does not seem to have been related to the type of media used or to gender. There was a weak correlation with age such that younger participants demonstrated a greater lowering of cortisol than older participants. This might be because older individuals may have a more practiced response to their stress levels and are able to tap into problem-solving strategies more readily compared with younger individuals. In addition, lowering of cortisol levels was more likely to be seen earlier in the day, rather than later, which has implications for the timing of studies of these kinds of interventions, as well as for patient interventions.

It is of note that for a little less than 25% of the sample ( n = 9), cortisol levels stayed about the same or actually went up by a few ng/ml after art making. The narrative responses of these individuals did not indicate any negative reflections about the art-making process. This finding raises several questions. It could be that art making resulted in a state of arousal and/or engagement, which resulted in higher stress for this small group. This might not necessarily be a problem, because arousal may lead to increased self-awareness or new learning. In fact, we did find some correlations between changes in cortisol and participants' narrative experiences. Those who spoke about an evolving process from initial struggle to later resolution and those who reported learning about self were slightly more likely to demonstrate a decrease in cortisol. It is also possible that 45 minutes of art making was not adequate time for some to experience reduced stress or notice any benefits. In addition, for a few participants, the art making was possibly stressful and/or stimulating; and as a result, their cortisol went up instead of down even though their narrative response suggested a positive experience. It is also possible that given the small sample size and the nature of the sessions, participants were reluctant to report negative responses. Another likely reason for the lack of a relationship between many of the themes and the changes in cortisol might be that we did not use the appropriate psychological parallels for this biomarker. In future studies, participants could be administered a psychological measure of stress which might be more closely related to cortisol change rather than narrative responses. Future research might also consider assessing levels of salivary alpha amylase, a biomarker increasingly being considered a more accurate measure of short-term changes in stress levels (Nater & Rohleder, 2009). Further research is also needed to better understand the differences in outcomes between psychological and physiological measures, differences related to type of media, differences in outcomes based on art making with and without an art therapist, and differences with clinical populations.

There are several limitations of this study to consider. The primary limitation was the absence of a control group. Thus it is hard to determine at present which factors in the session (art making, interactions with the researcher, or something else) contributed to the lowering of cortisol. Moreover, participants varied in their level of interaction with the researcher and need for structure during art making, which again made each experience somewhat variable. The study also used a healthy (nonclinical) sample and thus it is not clear if the same patterns would be seen in clinical groups. In many of the between-group analyses, the subgroups were not very large. Therefore results in these cases must be interpreted with caution. Lastly, 85% of the participants were women and nearly 80% had moderate to high levels of experience with art making, which further limits the generalizability of the findings.

Our pilot study provides preliminary evidence for the use of art making for lowering cortisol, a proxy measure of stress, among healthy adults. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study to demonstrate lowering of cortisol levels after a short session of art making structured to be similar to an art therapy situation. In our sample, reduction of cortisol was not related to gender, type of media used, race/ethnicity, or prior experience with art making, although it was related slightly to age and time of day. There were weak to moderate correlations between the lowering of cortisol and the narrative response themes of learning about self and the evolving process of art making. It is of note that cortisol levels were lowered for most participants but not all, indicating a need to further explore stress reduction mechanisms.

Funding

This study was funded through a grant to the first author from the Office of Faculty Development and Equity at Drexel University.

References

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Reduction of Cortisol Levels and Participants' Responses Following Art Making

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Abstract Abstract This quasi-experimental study investigated the impact of visual art making on the cortisol levels of 39 healthy adults. Participants provided saliva samples to assess cortisol levels before and after 45 minutes of art making. Participants also provided written responses about the experience at the end of the session.

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Abstract

Both social isolation and loneliness are associated with increased mortality, but it is uncertain whether their effects are independent or whether loneliness represents the emotional pathway through which social isolation impairs health. We therefore assessed the extent to which the association between social isolation and mortality is mediated by loneliness. We assessed social isolation in terms of contact with family and friends and participation in civic organizations in 6,500 men and women aged 52 and older who took part in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing in 2004-2005. A standard questionnaire measure of loneliness was administered also. We monitored all-cause mortality up to March 2012 (mean follow-up 7.25 y) and analyzed results using Cox proportional hazards regression. We found that mortality was higher among more socially isolated and more lonely participants. However, after adjusting statistically for demographic factors and baseline health, social isolation remained significantly associated with mortality (hazard ratio 1.26, 95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.48 for the top quintile of isolation), but loneliness did not (hazard ratio 0.92, 95% confidence interval, 0.78-1.09). The association of social isolation with mortality was unchanged when loneliness was included in the model. Both social isolation and loneliness were associated with increased mortality. However, the effect of loneliness was not independent of demographic characteristics or health problems and did not contribute to the risk associated with social isolation. Although both isolation and loneliness impair quality of life and well-being, efforts to reduce isolation are likely to be more relevant to mortality.

Results

We carried out these analyses on 6,500 men and women who participated in wave 2 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) in 2004-2005 ( 28), tracking mortality until March 2012. We defined social isolation and loneliness as having a score within the top quintile, so for the purposes of Cox regression modeling we compared participants with high (18.5%) and low/average (81.5%) scores on our social isolation index and high (18.1%) and low/average (81.9%) loneliness scores on the short form of the Revised University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) loneliness scale ( 29). The characteristics of the high and low/average social isolation and high and low/average loneliness groups are summarized in Table 1. There were no sex differences in social isolation, but isolated individuals were more likely to be older and unmarried with limited education and lower wealth. Social isolation also was associated with limiting longstanding illnesses such as chronic lung disease, arthritis, impaired mobility, and depressive symptoms. Loneliness was more common in women and was associated with older age, less education, and lower wealth and marital status in the same way as social isolation. It was associated with a greater range of health conditions than social isolation, including coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, and clinical depression, although the prevalence of these conditions was low. Loneliness ratings averaged 4.06 ± 1.47, similar to levels described in comparable studies in the United States ( 26). Social isolation and loneliness were positively correlated ( ρ = 0.10, P < 0.001).

We found that 918 (14.1%) of the 6,500 participants in ELSA had died by the census date, with a higher rate among men than women (16.3 vs. 12.3%, P < 0.001). Both social isolation and loneliness were associated with all-cause mortality; the absolute proportions of deaths were 21.9 vs. 12.3% in the high and low/average isolation groups and 19.2 vs. 13.0% in the high and low/average loneliness groups, respectively.

Cox proportional hazard analyses showed that, after adjustment for age and sex, the hazards ratio (HR) for mortality was 1.50 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.30-1.73, P < 0.001] in the high social isolation group ( Table 2). Adjustment for demographic factors including marital status reduced the strength of this association by around 36% (model 2), with a further reduction of 12% when baseline health status and depression were taken into account (model 3). Nevertheless, the HR remained highly significant (1.26, 95% CI, 1.07-1.48, P = 0.005). This result indicates that the mortality risk of social isolation is caused partly by social disadvantage or poor health, but much of the association remains unexplained. Adding loneliness to the model did not reduce the HR for social isolation, and there was no interaction between social isolation and loneliness. In the fully adjusted model, other significant predictors of mortality were being older, male, less wealthy, having a limiting longstanding illness, cancer, or CHD at baseline, mobility impairment, and depressive symptoms ( Table S1 shows the full regression model). We tested sex differences in these patterns by adding the two-way social isolation by sex interaction (HR 0.85, 95% C.I. 0.64-1.14, P = 0.27), but the effect was not significant.

The age- and sex-adjusted HR for loneliness was significant (1.26, 95% CI, 1.08-1.46, P = 0.003) but was reduced to nonsignificance when demographic factors were included (model 2, Table 3). The association was attenuated further after baseline health and mobility were included in the model (HR 0.92, 95% CI, 0.78-1.09, P = 0.34), suggesting that social disadvantage and concurrent health problems largely account for the relationship between loneliness and mortality. There was no significant interaction between loneliness and sex (HR 0.93, 95% CI, 0.68-1.26, P = 0.63).

We carried out two sensitivity analyses. The first tested the reverse causality hypothesis, that serious illness presaging early death had preceded the measurement of social isolation and loneliness, by repeating the analysis after excluding all fatalities in the first 24 mo after baseline. The results are comparable to those in the main analysis ( Table S2). The HR for social isolation remained significant in the fully adjusted model (1.33, 95% CI, 1.11-1.58, P = 0.002).

Our second sensitivity analysis tested social isolation and loneliness as continuous variables, instead of the categories used in the Cox regression. The results were unchanged from those in the categorical analyses, with an adjusted odds ratio of death of 1.26 (95% CI 1.13-1.41, P < 0.001) for every unit increase in social isolation and no significant relationship with loneliness (odds ratio 1.00, 95% CI 0.94-1.06, see Table S3).

Discussion

We found that both social isolation and loneliness predicted mortality over 7 y of follow-up in a national sample of older men and women. The association between social isolation and mortality remained strong after demographic factors and baseline health and mobility had been taken into account in multivariable models, but the association between loneliness and mortality was largely accounted for by baseline mental and physical health. There were no significant sex differences in these findings.

Our results indicate that loneliness did not affect the independent association between social isolation and mortality, and this conclusion was unchanged when deaths during the first 2 y after baseline were excluded. This finding suggests that the subjective experience of loneliness-often thought to be the psychological manifestation of social isolation-is not the primary mechanism explaining the association between social isolation and mortality in this study.

The levels of loneliness in this sample were comparable with those reported in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) in the United States using the same measure ( 26). As in other older samples, loneliness tended to be higher in women and in those from more disadvantaged circumstances ( 30). It is notable that loneliness was more strongly related to baseline poor health than was social isolation, particularly with respect to arthritis, mobility impairment, and depression ( Table 1). Our finding that loneliness no longer was associated with mortality after covariates had been taken into account likely reflects its relationship with baseline health. The result is consistent with previous studies. In the HRS, loneliness predicted all-cause mortality over a 6-y period independently of demographic factors and health behaviors, but associations no longer were significant after baseline health, functional limitations, and depressive symptoms were taken into account ( 26). Similarly in a sample of older people in Japan, the association of loneliness with mortality was mediated through linkage with chronic disease and functional impairment ( 31). These results do not imply that loneliness is not important but rather indicate that the experience of loneliness may be characteristic of people who already have major health and mobility problems. They also suggest that the health implications of loneliness may be overestimated if studies do not take account of the strength of objective social connections ( 17, 18).

If emotional processes indexed by loneliness do not explain the adverse effects of social isolation on survival, alternative mechanisms need to be investigated. Lifestyle may be relevant ( 11), including habitual health-risk behaviors such as smoking, inactivity, and unhealthy diets and health-protective behaviors such as adherence to medical recommendations, all of which may be vulnerable to lack of social support. In addition, people who live alone or lack social contacts may be at increased risk of death if acute symptoms develop, because there is less of a network of confidantes to prompt medical attention ( 9). Social contact itself also may have specific biological consequences that are important for health maintenance ( 10⇓ ⇓ - 13).

It should be noted that our analysis of continuously distributed social isolation and loneliness ratings produced findings similar to those involving high isolation and loneliness groups. This similarity suggests that the associations reflect variations in risk across the full spectrum of social connectedness rather than a phenomenon limited to individuals who are extremely isolated or lonely. Social isolation is a growing problem among middle-aged and older people. In 2011, people living alone comprised 28% of all households in the United States, compared with 17% in 1970 ( 32). The proportion of Americans who said they had no one to talk to about important matters increased from 10% in 1985 to 25% in 2004 ( 33), and in the 2010 European Social Survey, 27% of respondents aged 50 y and over met friends, relatives, or colleagues once a month or less ( 34). Between 1996 and 2012, the proportion of people aged 45-64 y who lived alone in England and Wales rose by 53% ( 35).

One concern in all observational studies is reverse causality; i.e., that social isolation may be more common in people who are critically ill, and that the mortality is higher because of the greater proportion of illness, not because of social isolation. This possibility cannot be ruled out completely, but we repeated the analysis excluding deaths within 24 mo of baseline, and the results were very similar results to those for the full cohort, suggesting that existing terminal illness is not the primary explanation. However, it is possible that some other unmeasured factors were responsible for the findings.

The strengths of this analysis include the use of a large representative population cohort in which it was possible to control for multiple health and demographic indicators. We also were able to construct a comprehensive social isolation index that included contacts with friends, relatives, and family as well as civic participation. The primary limitation is that it is not possible to draw causal conclusions from an observational study of this kind. Although the response rate was high, nonresponders in wave 2 of ELSA tended to be older and less well educated ( 28). We gave equal weight to different aspects of social contact in these analyses, but some social relationships may be more important to future health than others.

The findings of this study confirm that social isolation is associated with higher mortality in older men and women but indicate that this effect is independent of the emotional experience of loneliness. Reducing both social isolation and loneliness are important for quality of life and well-being, but efforts to reduce isolation would be likely to have greater benefits in terms of mortality.

Materials and Methods

Acknowledgments

The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing was developed by a team of researchers based at University College London, the Institute for Fiscal Studies, and the National Centre for Social Research. Funding was provided by Grants 2R01AG7644-01A1 and 2R01AG017644 from the National Institute on Aging and by a consortium of UK government departments coordinated by the Office for National Statistics. A. Steptoe is funded by the British Heart Foundation, and J.W. is funded by Cancer Research UK.

Freely available online through the PNAS open access option.

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Social isolation, loneliness, and all-cause mortality in older men and women

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Both social isolation and loneliness are associated with increased mortality, but it is uncertain whether their effects are independent or whether loneliness represents the emotional pathway through which social isolation impairs health. We therefore assessed the extent to which the association between social isolation and mortality is mediated by loneliness.

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Creating Healthy Communities: Arts + Public Health in America initiative.

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Stick to your Knitting | Classic Chicago Magazine

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Fact and Froth with Jill Lowe In uncertain times especially, such as we saw during the pandemic, it seems wise to stick to one's knitting - to do what one knows. Knitting: that process of using two or more needles to loop yarn into a series of interconnected loops in order to produce a garment seems to have dated from Egypt in 11c., although it may have earlier origins.

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When Melissa Eagan unveils her colorful creations at local pop-up markets, there's very little gray in the profusion of cheery shades and tonal variations in the yarns and materials she knits and crochets. The fabric she sews into quilts and bags, and in the 3D printed quizzical creatures she makes are lively and bright; in fact they're darn near neon. So where's the gray in Loops of Gray?

"The 'loops' part of the name comes from knitting because knitters make loops out of things," Eagan says. "Also, when I make a quilt, I use the 'pebbles' pattern as my quilting stitch, which is kind of like loops.

"The gray part is reflective of the work I do to promote good mental health. I have depression and anxiety, so that's where the gray comes from."

Knit one, meditate, too * Eagan isn't a full-time knitter. "I went to the University of Missouri at Rolla, but I didn't study art. My full-time work is as a senior IT software analyst at Enterprise," she says.

Nonetheless, handwork is a big part of her life. She views knitting as a kind of meditation. She's not the only knitter to discover its calmative effect.

"You're doing a lot of the same things over and over again. Sometimes I need to focus on what's at hand, other times not so much. I'm thinking about the work, but it's calming and reflective," she says.

"There's also a social aspect to making, and teaching. You get to hang out with other people who make stuff. Even on Instagram there's a sense of community, a back and forth. 'Hey, I'm working on this hat or that scarf.' People will chime in, and you're talking and sharing, even online."

Form, functionality and just plain fun * There's plenty of fashion in the hats, mittens, cowls and shawls Eagan makes, but there's nothing "fast fashion" about them. She wants her pieces to last, to be well-loved and well-used.

"I don't want to sell something that people think 'Oh, I can't wear this because it's too nice,' so they put it away. I want to make things that are wearable, usable and functional and maybe they'll even love them to death. And when that happens, they can bring it back to me, and I'll fix it," she says.

A boy and his tiger * Eagan doesn't limit herself simply to fashionable hats and knitwear. She enjoys creating toys, like the dapper Gentleman Bunny whose mustache, monocle, bow-tie and cane set him apart from the average rabbit in a warren.

The same goes for a venerable orange and black rangy tiger, one Hobbes, that she made for a beloved nephew who loved Hobbes too well.

"Well, his tail started to come off, he was a little worn in places, and he was really a little dirty. I thought 'Awesome! That means this toy is loved and used.' So I took Hobbes in, fixed his tail, gave him a bath and he was good to go. I also made Hobbes his own super-cape," she says.

The cape is just a symbol, sure, but it reminds us every critter has the power within.

Gray skies will pass over * Eagan, who celebrates 10 years of marriage with her social worker husband this year, stays engaged and connected through her work and her maker's mode. She gives a big nod to the importance of good mental health on her website and in her social media posts.

She didn't know what response she would get. "I've had people reach out and thank me for posting. They'll say 'I needed to hear that today' or 'I'm so glad that you shared this stuff.' I feel I've taken it on myself to put out the information people may need, and to have that be part of the regular conversation.

"My company is a supporter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. It's important for people know and hear about what help is out there," she says.

Loops of Gray

Maker * Melissa Eagan

Age * 37

Family * Melissa and Brian Eagan are celebrating ten years of marriage this year. They adopted a Corgi mix named Low Rider from Stray Rescue and later adopted a former street dog they named Royce, also from Stray Rescue, in keeping with the car theme. Blackbeard, her 17-year-old cat, prefers pirate stories to fast cars and enjoys keeping Eagan company when she's working in her studio.

Home * University City

What she makes * Eagan knits, crochets, quilts and sews all manner of useful things like hats, mittens, cowls, shawls, quilts and bags in multiple styles. She teaches a variety of classes in all the textile arts as well. In addition to finished items, she offers patterns of her designs for knit and crochet. In her spare time she creates small toys and objects using a 3D printer.

Where to buy * Eagan sells her products through her website, loopsofgray.com, where students may also register for her classes. Her knit and crochet patterns are available through Ravelry.

How much * Prices range from $15 to $75.

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Made in St. Louis: Knitting is her mental health outlet

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When Melissa Eagan unveils her colorful creations at local pop-up markets, there's very little gray in the profusion of cheery shades and tonal variations in the yarns and materials she knits and crochets. The fabric she sews into quilts and bags, and in the 3D printed quizzical creatures she makes are lively and bright; in fact they're darn near neon.

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BLUE HILL - "In through the front door, around the back. Peek through the window and off jumps Jack!"

So goes the centuries-old rhyme helping children learn how to knit. Chanting the lively verse, a picture forms in their minds. Each line corresponds to the different steps in each knit stitch. The jingle enlivens the act of poking the right needle through the loop on the left needle and wrapping the yarn around the back. Then, you fish the right needle's tip through the loop, creating another loop to pull the old one through.
To learn more about The Bay School's Handworks program, visit bayschool.org.

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Learning to knit at young age reaps benefits

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BLUE HILL - "In through the front door, around the back. Peek through the window and off jumps Jack!" So goes the centuries-old rhyme helping children learn how to knit. Chanting the lively verse, a picture forms in their minds. Each line corresponds to the different steps in each knit stitch.

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Michelle Obama says it helps to focus on what you can control when you feel out of control.

Among the things she could control during the death and isolation of the pandemic, the racial unrest and threats to democracy were her spools of yarn and her knitting needles.

She labels such thinking the "power of small," and she writes in her new book, "The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times," that by focusing on a small task like knitting she was able to get through the worry, anxiety and stress of the past few unsettling years.

"The interesting thing about knitting and using your hands and making something is that it is meditative," the former first lady said Tuesday night at the Warner Theater in Washington, where she kicked off a monthlong, six-city publicity tour to promote the book.

"In so many ways, it is like a faith," she said, seated on stage with a friend, former daytime talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres, who engaged Mrs. Obama in nearly 90 minutes of often humorous conversation. "It's a thing that shuts your worrying mind and lets your hands take over."

And therein lies the power, she said.

"I think about the knit and the purl, and the knit and the purl, and a row and a row and a row," the former first lady said, naming different stitches and techniques used in knitting. "And if you keep it up, and you're focused, you have a sweater."

In the book, published Tuesday, she shares the contents of her "personal toolbox" - the habits and practices, attitudes and beliefs, and even physical objects that she uses to overcome her feelings of fear, helplessness and self doubt.

"This book is meant to show you what I keep there and why, what I use professionally and personally to help me stay balanced and confident, what keeps me moving forward even during times of high anxiety and stress," she wrote in the introduction.

The 58-year-old wife of former President Barack Obama and mother of adult daughters Malia and Sasha wrote that the book, her third, is not a how-to manual, but rather is a "series of honest reflections on what my life has taught me so far."

"Keep in mind, too, that everything I know, all the various tools I lean on, have come to me only through trial and error, over years of constant practice and reevaluation," she wrote. "I spent decades learning on my feet, making mistakes, adjustments, and course corrections as I went. I've progressed only slowly to where I am today."

"The Light We Carry" is Mrs. Obama's first new work since the 2018 release of her bestselling memoir, "Becoming," which has sold more than 17 million copies worldwide, by far the most popular book by a previous first lady or modern president, including her husband.

As first lady, she wrote "American Grown," a book about the produce garden she had planted at the White House in 2009.

Mrs. Obama opened the tour in Washington and has events planned at Philadelphia's The Met, Atlanta's Fox Theatre, the Chicago Theatre and San Francisco's Masonic before the tour closes at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles.

Seated in a plush purple chair on stage at the nearly 100-year-old Washington theater, Mrs. Obama discussed her feelings after the 2016 election in which her husband was succeeded by Donald Trump. Coincidentally, Trump announced a third run for president during her appearance.

"If you guys recall, I said, 'Don't vote for this guy,'" she said, meaning Trump, who sought to undo much of Obama's record as president. "It hurt because you wonder - was it a rebuke of the eight years, the sacrifice we made? Was it complacency? What was it?"

The former first lady also discussed overcoming her fear of change and coming to the realization that she could not stand in the way of her husband's desire to run for president in 2008. He had given her veto power over his decision.

"Opportunity is on the other side of that," she said, speaking of fear.

She also talked about the pandemic, saying her family handled it better than most because they were already used to isolation from the eight years they lived in the White House "bubble."

She spoke about how hard it was as first lady - and still is - to make new friends she can trust, and how fun it is to watch her daughters "adult" as they share an apartment in California. The girls had returned to Washington to live with their parents during the pandemic.

Sasha had completed one semester at the University of Michigan before she came back home. Malia, who was enrolled at Harvard, spent her senior year at home and ended up missing out on a graduation ceremony because of COVID-19. So her parents staged a ceremony in their backyard, complete with commencement speakers.

"It was me, and Barack," Mrs. Obama said, laughing. "We told her how lucky she was. She got us both."

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Michelle Obama opens tour for new book, 'The Light We Carry'

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Michelle Obama says it helps to focus on what you can control when you feel out of control. Among the things she could control during the death and isolation of the pandemic, the racial unrest and threats to democracy were her spools of yarn and her knitting needles.

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What are the benefits of knitting? Donyale Harrison explores how you can beat stress by picking up a needle and some yarn

The cliché of a knitter is a white-haired lady-possibly one who also solves murders, if you're an Agatha Christie fan. But in the 1940s, young male Royal Air Force pilots wielded needles as they waited for their next mission. Wartime pilots crashed a lot and "lapcrafts"-like knitting, embroidery and beadwork-helped rebuild dexterity in wounded limbs while also helping to settle wounded minds. They were the cornerstone of early occupational therapy.
"Crafts like knitting, embroidery and beadwork...were the cornerstone of early occupational therapy"
Today, millions of people around the world employ these same techniques. "They are entwined withour mental health," says Janine Smith. Along with Deb McDonald, she co-owns Skein Sisters, a store in Sydney, Australia, that sells supplies for knitting and crocheting. "I know that if I haven't knitted for a few days, I really miss it. It's like meditation."

Research supports Smith's statement. Physiotherapist Betsan Corkhill and occupational therapist Jill Riley were part of a team from Cardiff University that, ten years ago, surveyed more than 3,500 knitters and found that the more frequently people knitted, the calmer and happier they felt. Or, as McDonald puts it, "That rhythm of making stitch after stitch is like deep breathing. It's a flow where you don't have to stress about it, you've got the rhythm happening."

"Flow" is a concept first named by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. As he wrote in his book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, "The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times. The best moments usually occur if a person's body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile."
"The more frequently people knitted, the calmer and happier they felt"
Shauna Richardson knows just how true this is. The artist spent 18 months in a state of flow when she crocheted three seven-metre-long lions for the 2012 Cultural Olympiad. To complete the task, which required nearly 38 miles of wool, she says she had to "zone everything out and sustain a state of mind driven by rhythm and process."

But smaller projects will also get you there. Even a simple knitting or crochet pattern requires attentiveness to ensure that each stitch is made correctly. And if there's not enough challenge in the straightforward, you can make additions, from colour changes to textured stitches to highly intricate patterns.

Csikszentmihalyi also describes the opposite to flow. He points out that although people are healthier and grow to be older than in previous generations, they often end up feeling that "their years were spent in anxiety and boredom," and they feel cut off from satisfying work.

The Cardiff research team found that even though most of the people surveyed were employed, three-quarters of those who knitted three or more times a week felt significantly more able to organise their thoughts and forget their problems.
"Knitting helps people build confidence in their abilities. If you make a mistake, you can just pull it all out and start again"
Many respondents described feeling calmer and in a better mood after knitting, and the majority of respondents who suffered from depression "perceived that knitting made them feel happier." For respondents who suffered from chronic pain, almost nine out of ten said that knitting gave them a sense of accomplishment and a means of coping with their pain.

Interestingly, more than half of those surveyed said that knitting pushed them to develop other skills, like building furniture. Because knitting is so accessible-at its heart it's two sticks and one stitch-it helps people build confidence in their abilities. After all, if you make a mistake, you can just pull it all out and start again.

Read more: Why having a hobby is good for you

Read more: 6 Reasons golf is good for your mental health

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The benefits of knitting: How to beat stress with crafts - Reader's Digest

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What are the benefits of knitting? Donyale Harrison explores how you can beat stress by picking up a needle and some yarn The cliché of a knitter is a white-haired lady-possibly one who also solves murders, if you're an Agatha Christie fan.

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I've become addicted to knitting and I'm clearly not the only one: I've seen people knitting on the subway, in college lectures and even, once, in a bar.

I'm not surprised. Knitting is a fantastic way to fight anxiety, keep one's mind occupied, and - by making clothing for yourself and those you love - fight fast fashion.

Knitting, a hobby many people probably think of as old-fashioned, can be youthful, therapeutic, political, even subversive. It can be anything you want it to be. Some people knit in honor of refugees or Holocaust survivors.

As a writer, I sit for long stretches of time making tiny repetitive movements with my fingers. I'm constantly looking for hobbies that will keep me doing exactly that - which is how I found knitting. Now, here is what I've learned:

Knitters' night-time internet searches become extremely specific. You will search for ever more esoteric videos, unable to sleep until you've got what you need, feverishly typing strange phrases like "German short rows, super slow, real easy" and "fisherman's rib stitch, three ways" or, after a particularly difficult day, "stranded fair isle colorworks, long".

You will have intense conversations about the advantages and drawbacks of knitting with metal or bamboo needles. The soft clack of the metal is addictive, true, but the grip of the bamboo on mohair is unbeatable. These conversations will happen exclusively in your head for up to 45 minutes on the floor of a Michaels craft store. Children, your own or others, will shriek and spin around you, unheard and unseen, as you invariably decide to buy both.

More than once, you'll accidentally order a pattern in Norwegian and send it to a translation service only to find it is in Danish. Soon you will begin to pick up a number of foreign words because the genser looks so cozy and you're sure it's the perfect genser. You need to make the genser! So you learn new languages and buy new wolle and keep right on strikke!

You would cut out your tongue before you would ask a fellow knitter how much money and time they spent making their perfectly average raglan sweater.

You watch Outlander repeatedly with the sound down, scanning back over certain scenes, even when Jamie isn't in them. You see, it's not the strapping Scotsman that keeps you coming back for more, it's the hand knits. The cowls and rent shawls and wrist warmers will leave you speechless except for two words ... both of them hubba.

You wish a loved one would take mildly ill - not so ill that they lose consciousness, but ill enough to stay in bed. Then you can sit by their bedside and knit quietly. Or sit by their bedside and knit and talk to them soothingly about knitting. Maybe you can knit them something - a sweater or a hat - to help them recuperate. They can admire and even touch your work-in-progress, as long as their hands are clean.

Within the drama-filled online fiber arts community, you position yourself as an outsider-insider, a powerful social identity fluid enough to understand the latest gossip (are the sheep on that Welsh farm really as happy as she says?) but safe in the knowledge you will probably never say the words "fiber arts community" aloud.

If you don't like how a specific piece is turning out or if the pattern you're following gets too difficult, you can set fire to your work. Alternatively, you could simply "frog" it, meaning you take the work off the needles and rewind it into a ball of wool.

There is laughably little we can control in this life, but a pair of needles and some yarn are three things we can absolutely rule over. Besides, it's very relaxing to knit in a nice slow rhythm while cuddling what feels basically like a tiny lamb in your hands. You feel your mind get still, and your status with your nieces grow.

Knitting is for aunts. That's not to say you have to be a literal aunt, you just have to bring a strong aunt energy to everything you do, and that will eventually lead you to knitting.

The people who work in yarn stores always seem bashful at first. They smile but they don't make eye contact, they stammer, they blush. But ask them their thoughts on the magic loop method versus double pointed needles and you will witness an extraordinary transformation. Their shyness vanishes and they become magnificent and unstoppable before your very eyes.

Of course, you have never used your knitting needles as a deadly weapon, but the whole time you're holding them, which is all the time, you're aware that you could kill somebody with them. That awareness brings you great peace.

We've discovered the joy of knitting. Join us.

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I've found extraordinary joy in knitting. Here's why | Maeve Higgins

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I've become addicted to knitting and I'm clearly not the only one: I've seen people knitting on the subway, in college lectures and even, once, in a bar. I'm not surprised. Knitting is a fantastic way to fight anxiety, keep one's mind occupied, and - by making clothing for yourself and those you love - fight fast fashion.

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Tie Formation and Cohesiveness in a Loosely Organized Group_ Knit

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Knitting for Connection Nursing potter2016

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In this population-based, cross-sectional study, we observed that cognitive activities such as computer use, playing games, reading books, craft activities (quilting, knitting, etc.) and watching less TV were associated with 30% to 50% reduced odds of having MCI.

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The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences

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Engaging in Cognitive Activities, Aging, and Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Population-Based Study | The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences

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The authors investigated whether engaging in cognitive activities is associated with aging and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in a cross-sectional study derived from an ongoing population-based study of normal cognitive aging and MCI in Olmsted County, MN. A random sample of 1,321 study participant…

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Dissertation by Heike Utsch from Antioch University

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Knitting and stress reduction - ProQuest

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Explore millions of resources from scholarly journals, books, newspapers, videos and more, on the ProQuest Platform.

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Loose Ends Unravelling the Benefits of Knitting

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Recently incarcerated women knitting and job training

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Recently incarcerated women knitting and job training

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Reintegration into the community while knitting as a source of income and self efficacy.

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About The Project

La Cana is a social enterprise that seeks to create fair employment and provide skills training for incarcerated women, enabling them to earn an income away from crime through the creation of high-quality products. Beyond creating handmade products, La Cana seeks to address social issues such as the lack of opportunities, low levels of education, and circumstances that lead women to become incarcerated as the result of being an accessory to a crime committed by men.

Prisons can lack effective training and employment programs and due to the precarious conditions and services, might not help achieve social reintegration. La Cana offers solutions through job-trainings for women's social and economic reintegration, mental health programs, and by advocating for the promotion and protection of incarcerated women's labor rights. With a team made up 99% of women, La Cana is committed to promoting a more gender-equal society by fostering social inclusion inside and outside their organization.

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Knitting a Better Future - La Cana, Productos Con Causa - The Intercultural Innovation Award

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La Cana is a social enterprise that seeks to create fair employment and provide skills training for incarcerated women, enabling them to earn an income away from crime through the creation of high-quality products.

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1) The act of knitting activates both hemispheres of the brain simultaneously, producing a wide array of physical, cognitive, and emotional changes including increased levels of concentration, and a heightened state of relaxation.  Enabling the body to relax while remaining alert and focused not only creates the perfect scenario for breaking deeply ingrained habits, but these effects are the very same ones produced by nicotine!

2) Another thing knitting and smoking have in common is their ability to trigger the release of endorphins and other ‘feel good’ brain chemicals called endogenous opioids.

3) It has been proven that addictive habits are best tackled when they are not just abandoned but are REPLACED by something else.  Knitting is a perfect replacement for smoking because it mimics so many of the effects of smoking.  It also calms the body during its detoxification process, and knitting needles provide a perfect replacement for the tactile habit of holding a cigarette.

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The KNIT to QUIT program will empower you in mind, body and spirit as you make the commitment to become a non-smoker and restore your health.

The craft of knitting and the habit of smoking have both been around for a very long time, but only recently has research shown how effective knitting can be in breaking this habit. Here are some of the reasons:

1) The act of knitting activates both hemispheres of the brain simultaneously, producing a wide array of physical, cognitive, and emotional changes including increased levels of concentration, and a heightened state of relaxation. Enabling the body to relax while remaining alert and focused not only creates the perfect scenario for breaking deeply ingrained habits, but these effects are the very same ones produced by nicotine!

2) Another thing knitting and smoking have in common is their ability to trigger the release of endorphins and other 'feel good' brain chemicals called endogenous opioids.

3) It has been proven that addictive habits are best tackled when they are not just abandoned but are REPLACED by something else. Knitting is a perfect replacement for smoking because it mimics so many of the effects of smoking. It also calms the body during its detoxification process, and knitting needles provide a perfect replacement for the tactile habit of holding a cigarette.

Selected References:
Smoking cessation: creating a quit-smoking plan - Mayo Clinic staff Smoking Cessation Strategies and Research - Randy A. Gilchrist, Psy.D Dealing With Weight Gain - www.smoking-cessation.org The Medical Journal of Australia: Quitting smoking in pregnancy Smokers get help to quit as they knit- by Alison Freeman, BBC News, London Nicotine Addiction and Cigarettes (Pamphlet published by: American Lung Association, Aug. 1989)

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The KNIT to QUIT program will empower you in mind, body and spirit as you make the commitment to become a non-smoker and restore your health. The craft of knitting and the habit of smoking have both been around for a very long time, but only recently has research shown how effective knitting can be in breaking this habit.

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Fresh from his gold medal win, diver Tom Daley is celebrating another achievement: finishing his Olympic cardigan.

The 27-year-old is a keen crafter and even has an Instagram account dedicated to his creations. During the Tokyo games, he's been photographed in the stands with needles and yarn in hand, knitting his way through the tense moments.

The results are nothing short of fabulous. First, Daley knitted a pouch for his gold medal. Now, he's unveiled the commemorative cardie.

"When I got to Tokyo, I wanted to make something that would remind me of these games. Something that I could say I had made in Tokyo, during the Olympics!" he said on Instagram.

"I did a @teamgb logo on the back, with a flag and GBR on the shoulders and Tokyo embroidered onto the front!"

The Olympian has previously credited knitting with helping him to stay calm under pressure, detailing how crafting helps to boost his mental health (it's also cheering up his legion of fans, not least the revelation that he's knitted his own swimming trunks).

"There are loads of things I'm doing to keep myself going, like yoga and visualisation, but I've also taken up knitting, which could be my secret weapon," he told BBC Sport in 2020, as athletes faced the stress of a postponed Olympics.

"It's part of my mindfulness routine, a way of escaping from everything for a while, and I've made all kinds of things like scarves and little hats for my son."

The athlete may be onto something. A review of studies conducted by the network Knit For Peace found that knitting and crocheting has been linked to improvements in both physical and mental health.

The review cited 2007 research from Harvard Medical School's Mind and Body Institute, which found knitting induces the body's natural relaxation response and lowers the heart rate by an average of 11 beats per minute.

Because of this, your blood pressure actually drops when knitting.

What's more, a 2012 study from the Mayo Clinic examined the effects of activities including knitting, quilting and playing games in 1,321 older people, nearly 200 of whom had mild cognitive impairment and were in the intermediate stage between normal ageing and dementia.

The researchers found that those who engaged in crafting, computer activities, knitting and reading books were 30-50% less likely to have mild cognitive impairment than those who did not.

The review of studies also linked knitting to:
* Reducing depression and anxiety
* Distracting from chronic pain
* Increasing a sense of wellbeing
* Reducing loneliness and isolation
* Increasing a sense of usefulness and inclusion in society.

A survey of the network's members also championed the benefits of knitting.

The majority (70%) of respondents stated they believe knitting improves their health, with the main reason (86%) being that it helps them to feel relaxed.

One in 10 participants (10.7%) said knitting helps them deal with chronic pain, with almost one in six (14.3%) saying it relaxes their muscles while one fifth (21.4%) believe it helps relieve the pain of arthritis.

More than a quarter (26.1%) also attributed knitting to helping them reduce their blood pressure, usually because of the calming, therapeutic nature of the hobby.

Knitting can also help spread a little love in the world. Knit for Peace unites knitters across the UK who make creations that are distributed to over 200 outlets, including hospitals, women's refuges, refugee drop-in centres, prisons, community groups, hospices and developing countries.

Meanwhile Tom Daley often sells his creations for charity. After completing his cardigan, he asked his followers to donate to money for The Brain Tumour Charity in memory of his dad Robert, who died in 2011 from a brain tumour.

If all that doesn't convince you to give it a go, we don't know what will.

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Tom Daley Is On To Something With His Knitting. Here's Why

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Fresh from his gold medal win, diver Tom Daley is celebrating another achievement: finishing his Olympic cardigan. The 27-year-old is a keen crafter and even has an Instagram account dedicated to his creations. During the Tokyo games, he's been photographed in the stands with needles and yarn in hand, knitting his way through the tense moments.

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According to The Health Foundation, more than two-thirds of adults in the UK (69 per cent) report feeling extremely worried about the effect Covid-19 is having on their life.

Combatting these emotions can feel like a battle, but individuals and organisations are turning to creative solutions, and it is happening right here in Ryedale.

Thornton-le-Dale Village Hub is taking on the Buddy Bear Appeal to promote mental health awareness in the community.

The Crafty Hubbers have been knitting bees all through lockdown for the hub's 2021 entry in the Large Village Category of RHS Britain in Bloom - representing the whole of Yorkshire.

After completing the bees, the army of knitters are aiming their knitting needles towards mental health awareness.

The Buddy Bear Appeal is similar to a chain letter; the idea of knitting three brightly-coloured bears to pass onto a friend, family member, neighbour or someone who is struggling.

The outcome? To put a smile on someone's face and lighten their day.

"Mental health is often a hidden illness and can be a silent killer," said Denise Rajab, from the Thornton-le-Dale Hub.

"Unfortunately, we have no idea how our friends, family, and neighbours are feeling, especially during this pandemic.

"The whole idea of our Buddy Bear is to contribute towards Mental Health Awareness, and show how important it is to help our community during this worrying time, by knitting as many Buddy Bears as possible and giving them to family and friends as a gesture.

"This gesture is to say you are not alone and that we all stand together as one.

"We hope that passing on a Buddy Bear and a knitting pattern will encourage others to knit and - hopefully - we will build a Buddy Bear community."

Knitting doesn't just result in a new jumper - research has found the hobby can also reduce depression and anxiety, slow the onset of dementia, and distract from chronic pain.

The rhythm of knitting helps with serotonin release, which is the chemical transmitter that helps regulate anxiety, happiness, and mood.

There is a strong connection between knitting and the feelings of calm and happiness in the brain.

Additionally the hobby, which is often associated with elderly, can help fight loneliness, a plague that affects more than 1.2 million older people in the UK, and increase a sense of usefulness and inclusion.

"Similar to a chain letter, the idea is that with one 100 gram ball of bright coloured wool, three bears are knitted," Denise explained.

"The Buddy Bear is a symbol to show how much we care, and to let others know that they are not alone.

"It is widely known that knitting is good for our health and wellness, and with this in mind, the Crafty Hubbers thought what better way to highlight the awareness of mental health and provide comfort to those suffering from mental health, by knitting and selling Buddy Bears.

"Any money raised will be going to the Next Steps Mental Health Resource Centre, which supports mental health problems, wellbeing and prevents isolation and loneliness in Ryedale.

"The money raised will go to buying a portable loop system, so when they hold activities any one hard of hearing is not excluded.

"If you are not a knitter and would still like to send a Buddy Bear to someone, a selection are on sale in some of the shops in Thornton-le-Dale - just look for the posters.

"If you would like to knit Buddy Bears for our fundraising project, we will be happy to provide resources."

The Thornton-le-Dale Hub has received full copyright permission from the publishers' Search Press and the joint authors to use the pattern from the book, Knit Yourself Calm.

A copy of the knitting pattern is available on the Thornton-le-Dale Village Hub website and members of the Crafty Hubbers encourage other community hubs or individuals to get involved.

For more information, either phone the Thornton-le-Dale Hub on 07826 595048, email tldvillagehub@gmail.com or visit thorntonledalevillagehub.org

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Knitting together to help improve your mental health

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According to The Health Foundation, more than two-thirds of adults in the UK (69 per cent) report feeling extremely worried about the effect Covid-19 is having on their life. Combatting these emotions can feel like a battle, but individuals and organisations are turning to creative solutions, and it is happening right here in Ryedale.

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KNITTING and stitching can mend your mental health, according to new stats.

Research shows that half of Scotland's knitters and stitches say picking up their crafting needles allows them to de-stress.

The Campaign for Creativity survey discovered that more than a quarter of people found their hobby helped them cope with anxiety and depression.

Sheila Williams, 53, who was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2011, told how sewing help get her through dark moments.

The librarian, from Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire, said: "At one point, I don't think it is too dramatic to say, I was a couple months away from dying.

"I had negative thoughts and steroids kept me awake for three days in a row, but having the sewing community online was really helpful.

"I could just speak to them about crafting and not anything cancer related.

"For me, the colours and patterns help lift my mood and you keep your mind active - it's concentrating on the sewing instead of thinking about cancer."

Sheila, who is now in remission, even thinks the cancer has made her a better quilter.

She said: "The chemo affected my brain so much and my concentration wasn't quite as good so I had to slow down a lot and appreciated what I was doing.

"I think the cancer actually made me better at sewing because I was more mindful."

Textile designer Elena Costella, from Dundee, suffers from depression. But she believes knitting raises her spirits.

Elena, who now teaches knitting, said: "I've had depression for many years - you don't realise it's not normal to feel that way.

"Knitting and stitching helps me switch off. I get lost in it and block out any other thoughts.

"There are so many people who love crafting and you make a lot of friends. The social aspect really helps too."

The latest survey found that two thirds (66.9%) of Scottish textile crafters have made new friends through their hobby and half (49.4%) say crafting has helped boost their confidence.

Lee Knifton, head of Mental Health Foundation Scotland, said: "Participating in the arts directly improves our mental health and well-being, as well as strengthening social connections.

"The Mental Health Foundation lead more than 300 arts events every year across Scotland engaging more than 25,000 people.

" Our evidence review of more than 30 international studies showed how engaging in art forms, including dance, drama, music and storytelling enhance self-esteem, confidence, sense of accomplishment, memory and creativity.

"Crafts can be a really practical, social and fun way to do this."

The Campaign for Creativity also found that three quarters (75.8%) of art, craft and design subject teachers in the UK think schools should provide more opportunities for children to be creative.

And more than half (57.2%) said chances for children to be creative at school are declining.

Anna Baptiste, event director for The Spring Knitting and Stitching Show, which is being held until Sunday at the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh, said: "We live increasingly connected lives with little time or opportunity to switch off.

"Taking time out to enjoy a satisfying, mindful craft activity can be hugely beneficial for people of all ages.

"It's never too late to try something new."
We pay for your stories and videos! Do you have a story or video for The Scottish Sun Online? Email us at scottishsundigital@news.co.uk or call 0141 420 5266

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Knitting and stitching can mend mental health, new survey claims

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KNITTING and stitching can mend your mental health, according to new stats. Research shows that half of Scotland's knitters and stitches say picking up their crafting needles allows them to de-stress. The Campaign for Creativity survey discovered that more than a quarter of people found their hobby helped them cope with anxiety and depression.

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Positive Effects of Hand Knitting on the Psychology of People

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Positive Effects of Hand Knitting on the Psychology of People

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Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs

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As I reflect on almost 50 years of teaching in K-12 public schools and in higher education at a small, elite liberal arts college, I am struck by how knitting has grown into a metaphor and instrumental practice in my teaching of learning and literacy. Here, I share a range of experiences with knitting that have informed my teaching and my students in the hope to encourage others to bring knitting into their campus setting. It is just one way for me to thank the practice of knitting for the gifts it has given me, and to thank the many knitters who have mentored and inspired me, including those in my family.

Why do I find knitting so relevant to my teaching? Because learning is so much more than learning skills and acquiring knowledge. It is also about the rote practice that gets learning into your muscles and brain; it is about making mistakes and fixing mistakes; it is about apprenticeship and becoming a member of a community. When thinking about knitting, learning is not just acquiring the knowledge and skills that knitters have; it is equally about taking on the identity of a knitter.

Knitters know, for example, that if they try to learn too far out of what is their next step, it will probably miss the mark. They know that they learn particular skills, practice them and usually learn more quickly and effectively in both in-person and virtual knitting communities. Specifically, they know that they learn well by literally sitting next to one another, watching and trying and practicing-and sometimes having someone hold their hands through the moves.

There are fancy theoretical names for these phenomena, terms like " zone of proximal development" (Lev Vygotsky), " acquisition and participation metaphors" for learning (Anna Sfard), " legitimate peripheral participation" (Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger), and " communities of practice " (Wenger). Knitters already know what such phenomena mean in the world of learning, even if they don't know those theoretical terms, because they embody this knowledge in their everyday practices.

It was with this in mind that I set out to use knitting in a preservice teaching course, Teaching Diverse Young Learners, for undergraduates who will probably go into teaching. My very accomplished college-age students-most of whom learned reading, writing and math quite easily-needed a learning challenge, something outside their immediate comfort zone. And on the treadmill to college they had rarely had time to learn handcrafts.

While many students in my class have faced a wide variety of challenging situations, most had always been academically successful. Engaging in work at an elite college leaves little time for nonacademic activities, unless one is an athlete. I wanted them to experience the feelings of discomfort, failure and frustration that many students experience every day. Through learning to knit, they could grow deep empathy for young learners, especially those who struggle.

Knitting worked well as a challenge for the class. They fumbled and fussed, they failed, and they started again. They helped one another. They laughed at their mistakes and shared joy at their successes. Each one of them made a scarf over the semester, and some actually became knitters.

And when it came specifically to the practice of teaching and learning, they had specific experiences that exemplified the theories that they could discuss and analyze. Perhaps more important, they became more empathetic teachers, with a physical touchstone for seeing how hard learning to read or multiply could be for a child, just as learning to knit was hard for them.

For many of them, the benefits gained from learning knitting didn't end with the class. Some students continued to knit after graduation, sending photos of their accomplishments. Two students started a two-year knitting program in a local third-grade classroom, where the children learned math through knitting and made blankets for a cat shelter.

A couple of years later, after I had taught the same course a few times, another professor approached me in the hallway. She asked if I had taught a particular student how to knit; he was now knitting through her class. Tentatively, I answered yes and began to explain my methods, perhaps a bit defensively. She assured me that she just wanted to share that the student's ability to focus and engage in discussions had increased significantly since he started to knit in class. The repetitive physical engagement of knitting allowed him to pay attention differently by giving him a needed physical outlet.

In a college like mine, known for its academic intensity, knitting and other sorts of making have become a balm, a counterpoint to the very real stresses of an extremely rigorous higher education institution. Handwork of any sort settles our brains, connects us to others in communities of practice and empowers us as makers. I wanted to give my students not only an experience to understand different types of learning but also a tool that they could use to create a new identity, forge new relationships and better understand the community of makers around them.

Knitting as Mending

I eagerly brought what I had learned from my students and my own experience with knitting into my work in the office of the dean of academic affairs, as well. One aspect of my job entailed counseling concussed students, usually athletes, who were prohibited from athletic play, reading and screens. Those bright young adults, so programmed toward physical activity, academic rigors and socializing on their phones, struggled with what to do with their time and bodies while recovering.

One young man's concussion manifested as an obsession with edges; shortly after he was concussed, this highly social student sat in my office, unable to look me in the eye. When I asked about it, he told me he couldn't stop looking at the edges of furniture, as well as places where walls met floors and bookshelves met their braces. During his long recovery, he reverted to a childhood activity by making structures out of Popsicle sticks, claiming later that it helped him to heal.

I recognized a parallelism to the work I had done with my classes. After consultation with concussion medical professionals, I started recommending embodied, creative activities to my students in concussion protocol. I found students loved it.

We are in a new and challenging time on college campuses: enduring the pandemic, reckoning with climate change, contending with racial injustices and surviving political upheaval. Students and professors alike are stressed and searching for ever more ways to balance the ups and downs. It fills me with great hope that my college has created a new maker space and that students are voicing a desire to learn more embodied, constructive, integrative and creative skills. Perhaps we are collectively seeking a way to mend the mind and body divisions inherent in our current ways of living.

Today and Into the Future

Recently, I've been reminded of how much we can gain from learning and practicing a new skill, and specifically how beneficial knitting can be at the collegiate level. I have seen learning to knit improve students' resilience and grit when confronted with challenges. I have seen it deepen their empathy for people who face challenges unlike their own. And I have seen what the practice of a hand-brain skill can do to calm anxieties and heal both visible and invisible wounds. Learning to knit has instilled in my students and myself a proud knitters' identity and connected us to communities outside our normal social circles.

I have also had the joy of creating a seminar based upon developing interdisciplinary, antiracist pedagogies inspired by picture book biographies of underrepresented artists and makers. Those books about artists and makers engage young learners who do not often see themselves represented in textbooks. They also provide representations of previously marginalized people that encourage white audiences to rethink their visions of accomplished artists and makers.

The beauty in more embodied and integrative learning is that my students also learn the theory behind the practice more deeply and broadly. In learning to knit, or do any sort of crafting, they develop empathy and patience for young learners who struggle to learn new skills, empathy and patience for those who have been historically discriminated against, and empathy and patience for themselves. We are all humbled and empowered in ways that begin to mend the world.

Diane Downer Anderson is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Studies at Swarthmore College.

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Teaching students handwork like knitting offers many benefits (opinion)

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Among many benefits, handwork of any sort can help students understand different types of learning, create a new identity and forge new relationships, writes Diane Downer Anderson. As I reflect on almost 50 years of teaching in K-12 public schools and in higher education at a small, elite liberal arts college, I am struck by how knitting has grown into a metaphor and instrumental practice in my teaching of learning and literacy.

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Young people are starting to knit and crochet for mental health | CBC Radio

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Gen Z is finding out what long-time crafters and mental health experts have known for years: crochet and knitting are great for your mental health.