Knitting is a craft that is making a huge comeback. Some of this is due to people having more time during the pandemic to pick up hobbies that they had loing left behind, and also due to the fact that people are now more aware of how important it is to find ways to relax at the end of the day. As a craft it helps to build long term memory as well as strengthen the muscles of the hands, wrists and fingers and it is great for working on motor skills and manual dexterity. There are lots of ways that you can get started with this craft form and Knitting Kits from companies like https://www.woolcouturecompany.com/collections/knitting-kits is a great place to begin.
As well as the above benefits and the fact that it helps you to produce beautiful handcrafted items, knitting can also help your mental health in a number of different ways.
Meditative – knitting can allow you to reach an almost meditative state. The repetitive stitches that are used to create the beautiful designs, allow you to get yourself into a rhythm. This rhythm helps to calm your mind and can give you the opportunity to step out of the worries and stress that you have during the day.
Connection – social isolation has become an issue for many people and knitting is a craft that is loved by so many people that you don;t have to loko far to find someone else that loves to knit. This gives people the chance to meet up with others or to start knitting groups which can then help people to feel more connected to others.
Anxiety relief – working with our hands can help to reduce anxiety levels as it helps the built up adrenaline and cortisol to be processed through our bodies. This means that it can be a good way to help alleviate feelings of anxiety and can provide an activity that can be used when people begin to feel stressed or overwhelmed.
Brain health – there are studies that have shown that activities such as knitting can help to slow cognitive decline and can reduce the speed at which dementia may progress. This is due to the repetitive nature of knitting and the effects that it has on our long term and on our working memories.
Other benefits of knotting include improved memory, reduced blood pressure and an overall improved sense of wellbeing.