Research unravels benefits of knitting

KNITTING can be the perfect antidote to stress, anxiety and depression, according to a new study.

The hobby calms people with mental health issues, scientists found.

Researchers found that knitting brings a sense of calm and gives life structure for people living with mental health problems.

Dr Joanna Nordstrand at the University of Gothenburg said: “Knitters have a creative leisure interest that can also help them to cope with life and so improve their mental health.

“I’m convinced that this is part of the reason why so many people have taken up knitting these days.”

Knitting has become trendy and in 2022, a knitted garment was considered the Christmas present of the year.

The study, published in the Journal of Occupational Science, explores what people with mental health problems say about what knitting means for their health.

Researchers analysed 600 posts collected from an arts forum, Ravelry, where knitters discuss their hobby among themselves.

The study found that knitting enables people to unwind, it offers an identity as a knitter and is considered a good low social context.

Knitting can also bring structure to people’s lives, which improves their mental health, it says.

A knitter from the study said: “The nurses were wanting to give me an anti-anxiety medication until I told them that I preferred knitting for the anxiety.

“She stopped, looked at me, and said, ‘That’s much healthier than drugs.’ ”

Subjects of the study found that knitting was a highly appreciated occupation which improved their short and long-term health.

Another knitter in the study added: “While my hands are busy doing something, my mind slows to a crawl, and I am actually able to think about one thing at a time rather than having 20 to 30 threads all going at once.”

Some of the knitters also noticed a change in their mental processes, saying that when they were knitting, their thinking became clearer and easier to manage.

Professor Birgitta Gunnarsson, from the University of Gothenburg, said: “The aim of the occupational therapist is to get people’s lives working.

“There’s potential in needles and yarn that the health system shouldn’t ignore.”