Yesterday, I was involved in the filming of a documentary on fibre arts. We chatted for almost three hours about many things including why using natural fibres is so beneficial to both ourselves and our planet as well as the many health advantages of participating in an activity like knitting or crochet.
I certainly am not alone in finding knitting to be soothing and meditative. In my most recent newsletter, I introduced folks to Cassie Landolfi who operates a wellness centre in Ontario. She is a “kindred spirit” when it comes to how knitting can offer improvements to your health – so much so that she even offers a “Keep Calm and Knit On” knitting group at the centre!
In the November, 2019 issue of Interweave Press, Rachel Simmons wrote: “Without really being aware of what I was doing, I had introduced meditation into my daily routine. While knitting, there was no regret about what happened or what we might miss out on or worry about what was going to happen next; there was only a blissful focus on the now. I found that I was sleeping better, feeling better, and recognizing my own limitations and coming to terms with them. …. I was able to release the stress built up during the day and see the beauty grow in both my knitting and my life…. When we need to remind ourselves to cherish the living moment, let us create space to do so and lose ourselves in some meditative knitting.”
Just imagine – if we were better able to handle stress (and we’ve certainly all had our fair share of stress over the last many months), if we slept more soundly, if we cherished the gifts that life gives us, we just might discover that we shift our priorities from what we “must” do to what we truly want to do. I certainly am not suggesting that we abandon all of life’s responsibilities. But we can even find pleasure in the most mundane of chores if we look at it from the end result as opposed to the task itself. Stress often causes us to worry and focus on the negative. A shift from bleak to beauty can occur if we introduce meditation, be it through knitting or the more traditional path, into our lives.
Happy knitting!
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