By Anita Manley

For those who know me well, you know that I am an avid knitter. In fact, this year, all my family received knitted items for Christmas. I enjoy knitting immensely and find that it helps to calm my mind. It requires that I pay attention to counting and a stitch pattern, along with watching Netflix or talking among friends — all at the same time. So, I am forced to stay in the present moment. It’s kind of like meditation for me.

Knitting has been proven to be good for your mental health.*

Some of the benefits include:

• Reduced depression and anxiety
• Lowered blood pressure
• Slowed onset of dementia
• Distraction from chronic pain
• Increased sense of wellbeing
• Reduced loneliness and isolation

My Mom taught me how to knit in my early 20’s. It didn’t stick as a hobby then, since I was way-too- active to be able to sit down and concentrate on something like knitting for hours. In 2012, I found I was watching our local NHL hockey team play every game of the season. So, I was sitting in front of the TV for 3 hours at a time, with nothing to do but watch hockey. I felt lazy, like I wasn’t accomplishing anything in those three hours. When I related this story to a friend of mine, she said “You need a hobby! You should take up knitting.” I thought, you are right. I can do that! Thus began my knitting journey. I have since taken several “specialty” knitting courses, such as “double knitting”, “brioche knitting with 3 colours”, and others. I absolutely LOVE to knit.

I found an amazing group of knitting friends to knit with at work. We have a blast: talking, knitting, sharing stories (not all about knitting), celebrating retirements, weddings, new babies, etc. In fact, the absolute best Christmas party of every year for the past five years has been our “Christmas Knitters’ Tea” hosted by one of our group members at her home. We knit, eat, play really challenging knitting games, and have a fun yarn gift exchange. The ladies are a delight to spend time with.

It is not surprising, that during this COVID-19 pandemic, this same group of women decided to meet up on Zoom**, once a week at lunch, to continue knitting together virtually. We all join in from the office, from home, or even from one’s car! Not to worry! …she wasn’t knitting and driving at the same time. It was just a nice break for her to get out of the office and hide out, knitting in her car, while Zooming with the rest of us. By meeting virtually, we continue to connect and share fun stories during this very stressful time. Also, we continue to benefit from the healing powers of knitting.

If you are someone who has more time on your hands during this crisis, I encourage you to take up a new hobby. It doesn’t have to be knitting or crocheting. It could be anything – but I, of course, will continue to enjoy all the benefits of knitting.

* https://mhanational.org/blog/mental-health-benefits-knitting

** Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications