Health Benefits of Knit & Crochet
Return to Hand Needlework Reflects Longing for Stress Reduction
The current resurgence of hand-knitting and crochet may very well owe its popularity to the desire for promised health benefits.
The health benefits of knit and crochet have been touted for decades by their practitioners, and doctors are finally agreeing. Knitting, crochet, and the other needle arts are traditional crafts dating back thousands of years. Although factories took over mass clothing and linen manufacturing in the early 20th century, millions of people have returned to hand work for both quality of product and quality of life. Clearly, the majority of knitters and crocheters don’t perform their chosen arts because of necessity – there must be other reasons.
Lower Stress
There is proof substantiating the claim that knitting and crochet help lower stress levels, thereby leading needle workers to a greater state of calm. ”Human beings are bodies, minds and spirits. Health necessarily involves all of those components,” says Dr. Andrew Weil in his bestselling book, Eight Weeks to Optimum Health. If happiness levels are increased, so is health. Weil points out that conventional medicine pays almost exclusive attention to the physical body and does not take into consideration what the mind would prefer. If the mind wants to knit, then knitting will produce happiness, which will in turn lead to a healthier life—it’s just that simple. Doctors are finally confirming what knitters and crocheters have known all along.
Balance and Moderation
Knitting is often compared to yoga, as both address achieving physical development through mental strength and accentuate the value of a balanced lifestyle. A study at University of Toronto in 2005 showed such balance to be an extremely vital factor where health is concerned. “Everything in moderation” is a more important mantra than ever before, as the world keeps accelerating.
Increased Tranquility
Even marketing experts have recently been promoting the idea of “back-to-basics.” According to their thinking, society is currently so overwhelmed by graphics and audio that simpler commercials may be more successful than their complicated counterparts. There certainly is a connection between that and crafters everywhere, as fiber artists walk out of the shopping malls and pick up their needles.
Fiber Artists Agree
Whichever way the facts are put together, one thing is clear – needle artists have always believed their crafts to be not only good to them, but good for them. Ask any of them, and it’s obvious how passionate these artists are about their crafts and the benefits they derive from them. They don’t need anyone to tell them to knit or crochet to feel better, but it’s certainly nice to have the medical experts agree.
