Knitting

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More Reasons to Pick up Your Needles

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don't learn to knit because ryan gosling is supposedly doing itWe probably all know a lot of reasons why knitting is great for us. It’s good for our mental health, for sure. It can also be good for our physical health when we reach for the needles instead of the chip bag or a cigarette.

One of these benefits of knitting posts seems to come out every few months, but they’re worth reading if you feel the need to justify the time spent on your hobby to someone else (or even to yourself).

This one, which oddly enough comes from a British telecom company, says knitting can help you stay calm, ward off dementia and make you happier.

I hate that one of their benefits is to be cool like celebrities (especially since I don’t think Ryan Gosling actually knits), but the rest of these are pretty good. Have you seen any health benefits since picking up your needles?

[Photo via Handmade Ryan Gosling.]

 

Comments

  1. When my husband was off of work for 8 months 10 years ago because of back surgery, I took a knitting class. It is so relaxing and calmed me down so much. What a huge plus for stress!

Have you read?

Knit a Classic Aran Cardigan with this Free Knitting Pattern

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time. 

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring. 

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn. 

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row. 

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves. 

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body. 

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy. 

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn. 

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]