Nine ways knitting can help weave calm and joy into your life

Knitting provides numerous mental benefits, including stress reduction and improved mood.

Looking for motivation to help revive a former hobby or to help you get started with your first ever stitches? Picture: Alamy/PA

Swimmer Tom Daley inspired many people  to dust off their old knitting needles after he was spotted stitching between dives at the Paris Olympics last year, and his new Channel 4 show Game of Wool: Britain’s Best Knitter has helped reignite this wave of creative enthusiasm.

Each week we are blown away by the contestants’ incredible skills, imagination and wonderful woolly masterpieces.

If you are looking for that extra bit of motivation to help revive a former hobby or to help you get started with your first ever stitches, then here are nine ways knitting can weave calm and joy into your life… 

1. Boosts mood 

Knitting can have a profound impact on your mood.

“Before I started knitting I was in a depressed state,” shares Shelby Fuller, founder of London-based knitwear brand Elizabeth An’Marie, who started to teaching herself how to knit in 2014. 

“I had lost my love for colour and I would basically just wear black all the time. However, when I started to teach myself how to knit I remember one of my friends asked me how I was and for the first time in a while I could actually say yeah, I’m OK. 

The whole downcast feeling I had was gone, and I feel like knitting did help with that.

2. Promotes mindfulness 

“If you’re doing something that’s a little bit challenging, you solely concentrate on what you’re doing and can switch off from what’s going on around you,” says knitting designer and teacher Monica Russel, founder of The Knit Knacks. 

“So, it’s got that ability to take you away from a situation for a short space of time and that can be very cathartic.” 

3. Encourages self-care and me time 

Knitting or crocheting is time purely for yourself.

“When you pick up a skill like knitting or crocheting, or anything that is crafty, it helps your mental health because you are putting your focus into something for yourself instead of for someone else,” says Fuller. 

“For example, if you are working a retail job for someone else and go home and knit or crochet that is time purely for yourself.

“I think the happiness it can give someone is knowing that this is mine and no one can take this away from me.” 

4. Boosts self-esteem 

“Learning a new skill gives you a sense of achievement and satisfaction,” says Russel. “You can choose your own colour and pattern, and can customise what you’re going to knit, and can feel very proud of what you’ve achieved. I think people’s confidence also grows as they carry on developing and learning new skills.” 

Encouragement from others can also help boost that confidence.

“When you make something, and then someone just says, that’s so nice, where’d you get it from, and you say you made it and get that positive feedback, I think that can definitely help with self-esteem,” adds Fuller.

5. Has calming effects 

“Doing repeat patterns within a row or a garment is very methodical and I think that can have a very calming effect,” says Russel. 

“It can help relax people, and some would say knitting can be a form of therapy. It’s not for everybody, but it works for some people.” 

6. Is a great way to socialise 

Helping each other create something can help foster connection

“Getting together with friends or family doesn’t always have to be about eating or gossiping over a drink,” says Fuller. “It can also be fun to do something different and creative, like knitting. Helping each other create something can also help foster connection.” 

7. Fosters a sense of community 

“Knitting classes are a great way to meet new people doing something you enjoy and helps build a community,” says Fuller. 

“The last class I did was so fun because of all the characters that came. I had a blast and laughed a lot during those two hours. The ones that were more advanced were great and really helped some of the beginners which was lovely to see.” 

8. Provides a creative outlet 

Swimmer Tom Daley's new Channel 4 show Game of Wool: Britain’s Best Knitter sees contestants show their incredible skills, imagination and wonderful woolly masterpieces. Picture: Yui Mok/PA

“I think one of the main benefits is that creativity,” says Fuller. 

“If you are someone who has a creative mind, don’t just sit on it because it will drive you mad. I think that’s why I picked up my knitting needles for the first time all those years ago, I couldn’t just sit during the summer holiday doing nothing. I needed to do something creative.” 

9. Provides moments of joy

“Knitting doesn’t have to be serious, it can be fun as well,” says Russel. 

“Don’t be afraid to experiment and try out new things.”