Why I Knit

Join Clinical Psychologists Dr Mia Hobbs and Dr Paula Redmond as we discuss two research papers about knitting and mental health. These papers both relate to nurses and supporting them with the challenges of their role. Paper 1 relates to using knitting to reduce compassion fatigue in nurses Paper 2 relates to using knitting to reduce anxiety in nursing students ------------- 🧶 We are hosting a L...

For the final episode of series 8 I am delighted to be joined by Dr Katya Miles of The Working Well Doctor. Katya works as a Coach and Trainer for health professionals and people in high stress professions. She speaks about turning to knitting during the Covid pandemic when she was self-isolating with covid and how she now associates knitting with healing and soothing, and it is part of her own to...

I was delighted to be joined by Una, also known as @TheNeurodivergentCraftClub on Instagram. Una speaks about how knitting has been helpful in recovering from burnout, but has also been a really useful way to find out what her brain really needs - both to find some moments of focus and to feel settled and satisfied. It was so interesting to talk to Una about her experience of being a neurodivergen...

Elizabeth is a knitting teacher based in Nigeria, and she has made it her personal mission to teach 20,000 children to knit and 'think with their hands'. It was a pleasure to speak to Elizabeth about her own journey to becoming a knitting teacher, and how she has personally used knitting to help her to cope with grief and loss. Elizabeth also speaks about her experiences of teaching children to kn...

Allison Thistlewood is a creator of community in the knitting world. She has had various roles in and around the yarn industry, and the common thread in all of these roles is that she brings knitters together: at yarn festivals, for yarn crawls and on retreats and trips. Allison joins me to talk about her experience of moving to the UK from Canada, and how knitting was instrumental in helping her...

Adam is behind the successful Instagram account @CleevelyKnits where he shares his funny and creative adventures in yarn. Most recently these have included videos on wine-pairings for yarn, and attempting to knit a usable QR code! There is a very strong theme of Adam being someone who thinks outside the box, which is illustrated by the fact that he hasn't knitted from a pattern for several years....

In the second of two episodes, this week I speak to Dr Zoe, a GP specialising in menopause. Zoe's colleagues joined me last week to speak about knitting a blanket for her following her recent cancer diagnosis. Zoe speaks about her long history of using knitting to benefit her mental well-being, how she is using it now during her cancer treatment and how knitting has allowed her to find spaces wher...

This week I am joined by Sharon Hartmann, Dr Sarah Ball and Dr Carys Sonnenberg who are all health professionals working in the field of menopause. They have come together to create a shared knitting project in support of two of their colleagues who are going through treatment for cancer. This is the first of two episodes featuring menopause specialists and their colleague Dr Zoe, who is one of th...

This week I am delighted to be joined by Martyn, host of the Knit365 YouTube channel. I loved speaking to Martyn about his journey from beginning as an accidental knitter, having made an off-the-cuff promise to his grandmother, to a daily knitter with a successful YouTube Channel about his adventures in yarn. It was great to hear how Martyn has discovered the therapeutic benefits of knitting along...

To kick off series 8 I am deligted to be joined by Beth Gorishek who is also known the Adaptive Knitter. Beth was born with a limb difference and through teaching, speaking and workshops helps knitters to learn how to make adaptations to their knitting practice so that it works for their body. Beth believes that makers are well placed to be adaptive as this is part of the creative process of makin...

This month we are discussing a paper published in Scientific Reports (part of the prestigious Nature group of peer-reviewed scientific journals) about the impact of crochet on attention. You can read the full paper here . This is a study by neurologists into how crochet impacts on attentional networks. It combines brain imaging with an interesting experimental design. It is a complex read, involvi...

I am delighted to announce that Series 8 will be live next month! I have had some really interesting conversations with my guests this series and I can't wait to share them with you. In the meantime, if you'd like to be kept up to date on all the latest news you can sign up to the Creative Restoration Newsletter which is a montly round up of all our events, workshops, podcasts and blogs, along wit...

In our first book club episode, Paula and Mia each discuss a book they have read on the subject of the psychology of craft. Paula has read 'Craftfulness' by Arzu Tahsin and Rosemary Davidson Mia has read 'Craft Psychology' by Dr Anne Kirketerp If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time . ------------- 🧶 We are host...

Join Paula and I as we answer your questions about the field of knitting and mental health. Apologies that the audio quality isn't as good as usual for this episode, we tried out a new method of recording and had a few technical issues. We'll be back at the end of the month with a Book Club episode! If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self...

This month Dr Paula Redmond and I discuss another research paper into knitting and mental health. The paper we discuss is: Joanna Nordstrand, A. Birgitta Gunnarsson & Greta HäggblomKronlöf (2024) Promoting health through yarncraft: Experiences of an online knitting group living with mental illness, Journal of Occupational Science, 31:3, 504-515, The full text of this article is available here:...

This is our second bonus episode for anyone wanting to know or read more about the research into how knitting can benefit our mental well-being. Fellow clinical psychologist and knitter, Dr Paula Redmond and I will be reading one research paper a month and discussing it in our journal club podcast. We are also planning a Question an Answer episode, so if you have any questions about the research i...

This is a bonus episode for anyone wanting to know or read more about the research into how knitting can benefit our mental well-being. Fellow clinical psychologist and knitter, Dr Paula Redmond and I will be reading one research paper a month and discussing it in our journal club podcast. This month we are discussing Healing Stitches: a scoping review of the impact of needlcraft on mental health...

Have you ever stressed yourself our by overcommitting to gift knitting? Do you end up being exhausted by the festive season? Then we have a bonus episode for you! Subscribe to the Creative Restoration newletter here to receive our bonus episode as soon as it is released on 14th November to help you keep your self-care on track during Christmas, and continue to use knitting to benefit your mental w...

Carole Wyatt is a cancer doctor who has been diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. She speaks about using knitting to cope with the difficult days, and also to create a handknitted legacy to pass down to her future grandchildren. ------------- 🧶 We are hosting a LIVE version of our webinar The Healing Power of Knitting on 14th July at 7pm BST followed by a Q&A 🧶 If you'd like to learn more...

Tamanna is a nurse practioner and multi-crafter who works in the field of mental health. Tamanna joins me to speak about her own journey to knitting, sewing and embroidery, how this connects her to family traditions and her values of sustainability and ethical production of clothing. She also speaks about she uses fibre arts to benefit the mental health of herself and others. Tamanna Rahman Instag...

Whitney is a plus size knitter and YouTuber who is passionate about taking back the power to create clothes she loves in colours she enjoys. She speaks about how knitting has helped her to love the body she has, rather than feel that she to change her body to fit the clothes she can buy. Whitney Swinimer Whitney's website: knittedbywhitney YouTube: Knitted by Whitney Whitney's article on how knitt...

Elena Lo Presti is the founder and director of Craft Forward, which is a not-for-profit organisation that provides accessible, creative, experiences suitable for everyone, regardless of their skills and background. Their aim is to disrupt the current elitism within the arts and crafts world and open creativity to all through workshops with a clear social impact. Elena joins me to speak about her o...

Christina Socorro Yovovich is a writer, knitter and multi-crafter. Christina speaks about how since being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, she had struggled to access joy without worrying about whether this was a sign that she was becoming unwell. She explains how returning to knitting has allowed her to access a safe and more grounded form of joy in her daily life. Christina Socorro Yovovich webs...

Victoria Marchant is an inclusive knitwear designer who puts size inclusivity at the heart of all her designs. Her latest design, the Padstow Cardigan will be released on October 18th. Victoria Marchant Website: www.victoriamarchantknits.com Instagram: @victoriamarchantknits ------------- 🧶 We are hosting a LIVE version of our webinar The Healing Power of Knitting on 14th July at 7pm BST followed...

Samantha Moore is a filmmaker and animator who directed the BAFTA nominated animated film 'Visible Mending' which is about the ways we repair ourselves through knitting. If you haven't seen Sam's brilliant film, you can watch the film at Sam's Vimeo channel here: Visible Mending Follow Sam on Instagram: @sammooreanimate ------------- 🧶 We are hosting a LIVE version of our webinar The Healing Powe...