Tag Archives: knitting

Passion Blog

The History of Knitting

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Big news: this weekend I started knitting my first sweater! I’m about halfway done with the back of the sweater, so I still have quite a ways to go, but it feels great to have it started at least. It’s a Harry Potter sweater, the sort Mrs. Weasley made. If you remember, these were pretty lumpy misshapen sweaters, which I figured was a good place to start, because I can write off mistakes as intentional character traits and totally get away with it. If you’re interested, this is the pattern: http://www.canadianliving.com/crafts/knitting/knit_a_harry_potter_sweater.php

Ordering the yarn was pretty intimidating too. I ordered 12 balls of yarn for the sweater. I’ve used one and a half so far, so it’s definitely going to be a long process, but so far I’m really enjoying it. I’ll post updates here as I go, which should help encourage me as well.

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As I was knitting over the weekend, I was thinking about Mrs. Weasley’s magic knitting, and then I became curious about the history of real knitting sans magic. So naturally, I turned to Wikipedia, the source of all answers, and sure enough knitting has a pretty interesting history.

I’ll begin where Wikipedia begins, with the word “knitting” itself. The word comes from “knot”, which is from an Old English word cnyttan, which means “to knit”. While the word comes from Old English, knitting itself comes from different places around the world including Denmark and Egypt. The Danish Nålebinding is an early form of knitting and crocheting. In Egypt, there are early examples of cotton socks, with almost modern knit patterns. Then, as all things fashionable, knitting found its way to Paris, where it gained popularity with the formation of all male knitting guilds. Gradually as more efficient means of producing fibers emerged, knitting became a leisure activity for the wealthy.

Knitting has gone in and out of popularity throughout time. Different historical events can be seen in these patterns. For example, in the United States, knitting was spread by German immigrants originally. As a result, knitting fell steeply in popularity during World War II due to this association. In the last few years, it is becoming increasingly popular in the US. Groups both real and virtual have formed a growing knitting community. Knitting blogs (just like this!) and podcasts have helped expand the community as well. In real life, there are social knitting groups, sometimes referred to as “Stitch ‘N Bitch” in the US, or “knitting circles” in the UK (clearly some cultural differences here). These groups allow knitters to get together to work on projects, compare patterns, give advice, and generally socialize.

The history of knitting isn’t exactly thrilling, but I’m still glad I took the time to look it up. It’s always nice to know the background of things, especially something like knitting, which goes back thousands of years, and has sustained its popularity all the way through to today.

 

Passion Blog

Health Benefits of Knitting

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To me, knitting has always been a great way to relax. Whenever I am stressed out or upset, I simply take out my needles and knit a few rows and I instantly calm down and refocus. The act of doing such a simple, repetitive motion has a way of forcing you to forget whatever you were stressed about. If you stay tense, the knitting will turn into a tight ball of knots, so there is no choice but to calm down.

It turns out, I am not the only one who thinks this way. Knitting and other crafting have in fact been shown to have significant health benefits. According to CNN, knitting can help those who suffer from mental illness, and can decrease stress, and even help protect the brain as it ages. While little medical research has been done so far, it is clear that there are definitely benefits linked to knitting and crafting.

For example, knitting has been shown to have effects similar to meditation on the brain. According to psychologist Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, meditation produces a phenomenon in the brain called “flow”. Flow refers to a few moments in which an activity completely occupies your mind and nothing else seems to matter. In Csikszentmihalyi’s view, this is the key to happiness. Because our brains can only process a certain amount of information at a time, crafting and creating can temporarily silence other parts of the brain. These are the same things that occur in the brain during meditation.

Engaging in activities like knitting and other crafts also releases dopamine, and thus acts as a natural antidepressant. According to a study  published in The British Journal of Occupational Therapy of over 3,5000 knitters, 81% of respondents with depression reported feeling happy after knitting. And more than half reported feeling “very happy.”

Not only does knitting help with relaxation and depression, but also it combats the effects of aging on the brain. In the past, it was often thought that the brain was a static organ that could only decline after reaching its peak performance in a person’s twenties. New research, however, has proved that the brain can in fact continue to grow and develop and adapt to new environments even in old age. Cognitive training has been shown to increase the brains performance as it ages, and research now suggests knitting could do the same. Crafting involves memory and attention span while also uses visuospatial processing, creative side and problem-solving abilities. In this way, it is a unique way to engage the brain. Patients with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, high anxiety, and motor functioning problems such as Parkinson’s Disease have found knitting helpful to combat symptoms.

Clearly, I am not the only one who finds knitting to be relaxing. Indeed, many of the benefits of knitting are yet unknown, but though the research may not yet be there, it is evident that knitting and crafting can have amazing effects on a person’s mental and emotional health.