Knitting for Wellness

This post may contain affiliate links. Click here to read my full disclosure.

I learned to knit when I was in middle school. I taught myself with the Klutz Knitting Kit one weekend while camping with my family. I immediately recognized the calming, meditative aspect of it, and it became a simple hobby that I could pick up any time for five minutes or five hours.

I finally learned how to crochet with the help of a friend in college. It seemed so complicated at first, but once I got the basic stitches down, I realized it wasn't any more difficult than knitting. And the possibilities with crochet were endless. I found that it was easier to shape projects and improvise as I created amigurumi animals and other more complex projects.

Since I learned to knit and crochet, I've gone long stretches without picking up my needles and hook, but it's something that I can always come back to when I'm craving the meditative rhythm of stitching. ​

My latest project: a simple crochet stocking hat

So when I stumbled on Betsan Corkhill's book Knit for Health and Wellness, I wasn't the least bit surprised by the health benefits associated with knitting. ​In addition to the obvious mental health benefits (it's super calming and meditative), there are some surprising physical benefits of knitting and crochet. 

Here are five ways knitting can improve your health:

1. The Arthritis Foundation actually recommends knitting as a way to improve hand dexterity. They spoke with Theresa Leto, an occupational therapist and former instructor at the University of Findlay (my alma mater!), who suggests warming up for knitting as you would for an athletic event. See some of her tips and tricks on the Arthritis Foundation's blog. It can also be helpful to perform some simple hand and wrist stretches to keep from cramping. (1)

2. Repetitive movement - like knitting - can increase levels of the feel-good hormone serotonin while also decreasing levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. (2)

3. Your blood pressure drops while knitting. And research from Harvard Medical School's Mind and Body Institute showed an average decrease in heart rate of 11 beats per minute in knitters. (3)

4. Bilateral hand movement can have positive neurological effects and can improve hand-eye coordination. Some studies even suggest it can slow the progression of dementia. In fact, knitting has been used as a recreational therapy in patients with Alzheimer's, cancer and in neurological rehabilitation. (3)

5. Knitting can be an effective management tool for people living with chronic pain. By promoting relaxation, serving as a distraction and helping to rewire the brain's circuitry, knitting has helped some people find relief from pain. (3)

Have you experienced the health benefits of knitting or crochet? Tell me in the comments!

(1)http://blog.arthritis.org/living-with-arthritis/needlework-with-arthritis/
(2)https://anxietyresourcecenter.org/2017/10/crochet-helps-brain/
(3)https://www.creativehertfordshire.com/networks/creative-hertfordshire/documents/health-benefits-of-knitting.pdf