Knitting for Mental Health

Knitting is what I like to call a "productive hobby." You do something enjoyable, calming, fun, and then you get something at the end of it. It's also a bit old-fashioned that most people know about, and typically one or more of their grandparents knitted or crocheted.

These are all excellent reasons to pick up knitting, but one that I think goes unnoticed is its impact on your mental health.

When I knit, I usually do something else while knitting, be it watching Netflix or playing Dungeons and Dragons. Later on, after I have finished parts of the knit, I'll go back to review the work I've done and have little flashes of memory about what I was doing while knitting that part. Sometimes it's a funny moment on TV or a clutch nat 20.

Every stitch is a moment in time. Every row is a memory. Every knitted object is part of your life.

You know where the errors are in the piece. You know how hard certain pieces were. But when you look at the finished knit as a whole, there is pride in what you have accomplished. When you show your knitted piece to others, they will admire what you have crafted as a whole and not go looking for where you erred in the piece.

In life, you know where the errors are. You know how hard certain periods were. But when you look at what you have accomplished, what you have had to work through, you should take pride in what you have accomplished. Most people will look at you as a whole and will not go looking for where you have erred.¹

I use knitting to help myself take a step back and think, "Are people really going to remember that time I messed up?" How many moments did I really mess up compared to the billions of other moments of my life? How many stitches did I twist compared to the tens of thousands of stitches in the knitted piece?

Many people say, "You are the sum of [insert a word to prove their point]", and yes you are the sum of your actions/choices/friends/etc. You are the sum of every moment of your life just like a knitted item is the sum of every stitch that created it. It's a visual representation of what makes you who you are.

Every perfect stitch, every error, every change in tension makes a knitted piece the beautiful finished object it is.

Like many people, I picked up knitting during the pandemic. I wanted a productive hobby that I could enjoy without a lot of upfront investment.² I didn't think it would help me gain perspective on my life, but slowly and surely it did.

A couple of tips for anyone who is interested in picking up knitting after reading this:

• Don't buy giant, fuzzy yarn. It sucks. It is so hard to see the definition of your stitches, especially for a new knitter. Pick up some Worsted or Chunky yarn from the clearance bin to start off with.
• Wood vs Metal needles: Whatever floats your boat! There are also carbon fiber needles out there! Check what size the yarn you want recommends. There are sets, but if you're not sure if knitting is for you, I recommend buying just one pair of needles.
• What should you knit first? Squares! Get comfortable making garter stitch squares and stockinette squares. There are TONS of beginner knitting videos on YouTube.

Knitting is a fantastic hobby to get into because you can get something from it both physically and mentally. You are never too old or too young to start!

¹But let's be real, there are some jerks out there.

²Once you get hooked (pardon the crochet pun), you will find your yarn stash taking over the house.