The Book

For several years, I’ve taught people to use therapeutic knitting to reduce stress.  From community members to hospital employees and 3rd graders.  I’ve had the most wonderful experiences sharing this wonderfully meditative craft with people.

I first started knitting to have something to do with my hands while traveling or in the evenings as I’m not a big fan of TV.  I made tiny hats for premies in the  NICU at our local hospital as I wanted to give back but didn’t have time to go volunteer.  This was a perfect way to do something for others and keep my hands busy at the same time.  I wasn’t very good at it for a long time and it kept me frustrated because I just couldn’t seem to get it.  I took classes a few times a month and just kept at it.

What I found was that it was incredibly meditative.  Being a lover of science, I wanted to see if there were any studies validating what I became to believe was one of the world’s best kept stress relieving secrets.  To my delight, there were studies out there of people who’d had success using knitting to overcome chronic pain, addiction, weight loss, anxiety and depression.  I found a pretty big study done by a group of researchers in the UK that pulled it all together and showed that it indeed helps people.  The Benefits of Knitting is the result of an international study by Riley, Corkhill, & Morris (2013).

After seeing firsthand how knitting helps people through stressful life events, I’m committed to sharing these personal stories with others.  I’m looking to interview people who have used knitting to get through a difficult time in life.  It could be a divorce, grief, illness…any adversity that they felt knitting helped them cope. As knitters, we already know the health benefits of knitting and research is showing promise in this area.  I am writing a book about these heartfelt experiences to expand the research base on the benefits of knitting but also to help others with the hope that a simple, beautiful craft can be used in times of significant stress. I’m particularly interested in people who’ve used social knitting as a support network in addition to the art itself.

If knitting has helped you through a difficult time, contact me here or at TheHappinessKnittingProject@gmail.com