More Benefits from Creative Hobbies Like Knitting

A couple of new stories have come out recently about how great knitting and other creative hobbies can be for our health and our life.

A study from San Fransisco State University found that creative hobbies of any sort caused people to be better problem solvers at work. Researchers said they thought the freedom of self-expression that creative hobbies played a role in helping people be more flexible and creative at work as well.

And a story in the Washington Post looks at a lot of benefits of knitting and other hobbies, noting that most crafters say they feel happier after a session with the needles and says that studies have shown creative hobbies to be stimulating for the mind, reducing the risk of cognitive decline.

They also reduce the effects of stress, can be used to help people with motor issues like those caused by Parkinson’s disease, and may even be beneficial as a treatment for eating disorders.

While it can’t really be studied, most of us know the sense of pride and accomplishment that comes from a successful knitting session, which certainly carries over into making us feel capable of doing other things we might at first think of as difficult.

I’d love to hear your stories about how knitting makes you feel healthier, more accomplished, whatever. And don’t let anyone tell you not to pick up your needles!

Next Pattern:

Using your yarn stash is important to me throughout the year, but as I start to feel the end of the year coming on I get more excited about using things I already have in the house. Maybe that’s because I don’t want to go to a store in the thick of holiday shopping times, or I like the idea of having a little space in my stash when the new year rolls around.

It’s super satisfying to use up all the little odd balls you’ve made over the year (or years), and I have several stash busting blankets I work on when it’s cold and will maybe finish someday.

If you’d like to start a stash busting project that’s perfect for using up odd balls, check out the Soukish pattern from Neisha Abdulla. This pattern is made for fingering weight/sock yarn, and it’s worked in a tube with allover color work.

This is great for a couple of reasons. You don’t really have to weave in your ends when you can hide them in a tube (this is one time you might even get by just tying a knot when you change colors!) and you can change colors whenever you run out of yarn and it will look good.

Of course the pattern is made with blocks where the designer changed colors, but you can change yours more or less often as you need to make it work for your stash. You can use blank charts to design your own color combinations, or even your own stitch patterns if you like. You can also adjust the length of the scarf as needed or turn it into a cowl based on the amount of yarn you have.

This project looks like a lot of fun and would be a great thing to have on hand to stitch up and then to wear during the cold, gloomy months.

You can get a copy of the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Neisha Abdulla]

Another Way to Use Up All Your Sock Yarn Scraps

Gather Your Scraps for a Fun Wrap

A Scrappy Shawl Knitting Pattern to Use All Your Odd Balls

Use All Your Yarn Scraps on This Great Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Next Pattern:

Have you read?

Leave a Reply