ARDOUR CRAFTS REVIEWS HOW TO

It’s a hobby that I’ve stuck with, and it continues to help me cope with stress at work, provide a sense of order in hectic days, and allows my brain time to solve problems.”Ī recent email from the yarn company Red Heart titled “Health Benefits of Crocheting and Knitting” prompted me to explore what else might be known about the health value of activities like knitting.

ARDOUR CRAFTS REVIEWS HOW TO

Of a prematurely born daughter who reported that during the baby’s five weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit, “learning how to knit preemie hats gave me a sense of purpose during a time that Iįelt very helpless. Since the 1990s, the council has surveyed hundreds of thousands of knitters and crocheters, who routinely list stress relief and creative fulfillment as the activities’ main benefits. I keep photos of my singular accomplishments on my cellphone to boost my spirits when needed. Once you get beyond the initial learning curve, knitting and crocheting can lower heart rateĪnd blood pressure and reduce harmful blood levels of the stress hormone cortisol.īut unlike meditation, craft activities result in tangible and often useful products that can enhance self-esteem. Says that the repetitive action of needlework can induce a relaxed state like that associated with meditation and yoga. Herbert Benson, a pioneer in mind/body medicine and author of “The Relaxation Response,” Last April, the council created a “Stitch Away Stress” campaign in honor of National Stress Awareness Month. Even men and schoolchildren are swelling the ranks, among them my friend’s three grandsons, ages 6, 7 and 9. The Craft Yarn Council reports that a third of women ages 25 to 35 now knit or crochet. It seems, too, that I’m part of a national resurgence of interest in needle and other handicrafts, and not just among old grannies like me. As I’d discovered in college, when my hands are busy, my mind stays focused on the here and now.

I take a yarn project with me everywhere, especially when I have to sit stillĪnd listen. I’ve made countless afghans, baby blankets, sweaters, vests, shawls, scarves, hats, mittens, caps for newborns and two bedspreads.

Hooked, not only on knitting but also on crocheting, and I was on my way to becoming a highly productive crafter. But within two Mondays in the group, I was Then decades passed without my touching a knitting needle. My mother had taught me to knit at 15, and I knitted in class throughout college and for a few years thereafter. Home not three minutes’ walk from my own. My reluctant response - “When would I do that?” - was rejoined with “Monday afternoons at 4,” at a friend’s About 15 years ago, I was invited to join a knitting group.

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