Why I Knit

For the final episode of series 8 I am delighted to be joined by Dr Katya Miles of The Working Well Doctor. Katya works as a Coach and Trainer for health professionals and people in high stress professions. She speaks about turning to knitting during the Covid pandemic when she was self-isolating with covid and how she now associates knitting with healing and soothing, and it is part of her own toolkit for managing stress or high demand situations.We talk about recovering from perfectionism and give our views on why so many health professionals are attracted to knitting and needlecrafts.Connect with KatyaWebsite: Working Well DoctorInstagram: @theworkingwelldoctorFacebook: @theworkingwelldoctor-------------🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.Here's how to stay in touch:💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

I was delighted to be joined by Una, also known as @TheNeurodivergentCraftClub on Instagram. Una speaks about how knitting has been helpful in recovering from burnout, but has also been a really useful way to find out what her brain really needs - both to find some moments of focus and to feel settled and satisfied.It was so interesting to talk to Una about her experience of being a neurodivergent knitter and the reasons she believes that many neurodivergent people are attracted to knitting.Connect with UnaInstagram: @theneurodivergentcraftclubSubstack: neurodivergentcraftclub-------------🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.Here's how to stay in touch:💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

Elizabeth is a knitting teacher based in Nigeria, and she has made it her personal mission to teach 20,000 children to knit and 'think with their hands'. It was a pleasure to speak to Elizabeth about her own journey to becoming a knitting teacher, and how she has personally used knitting to help her to cope with grief and loss. Elizabeth also speaks about her experiences of teaching children to knit and why she believes this is a valuable addition to their education.Connect with ElizabethInstagram: @tunnizzeFacebook: @tunnizzecreations-------------🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.Here's how to stay in touch:💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

Allison Thistlewood is a creator of community in the knitting world. She has had various roles in and around the yarn industry, and the common thread in all of these roles is that she brings knitters together: at yarn festivals, for yarn crawls and on retreats and trips.Allison joins me to talk about her experience of moving to the UK from Canada, and how knitting was instrumental in helping her to make connections with new friends, and how she has continued to want to bring this opportunity to other knitters.Allison's yarn event Make Joy is returning to Woolwich Works on 8th November - you can find more info on her website and sign up to her newsletter to be informed when tickets go on sale: https://champagneandqiviut.com/about-make-joyConnect with AllisonWebsite: Champage & QiviutInstagram: @champagneandqiviut-------------🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.Here's how to stay in touch:💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

Adam is behind the successful Instagram account @CleevelyKnits where he shares his funny and creative adventures in yarn. Most recently these have included videos on wine-pairings for yarn, and attempting to knit a usable QR code! There is a very strong theme of Adam being someone who thinks outside the box, which is illustrated by the fact that he hasn't knitted from a pattern for several years.Despite only starting knitting in 2022, something about it hooked Adam in and he has progressed from beginner to a dabbling designer very quickly.We speak about Adam's experience of using knitting, alongside therapy and medication, to support his journey in managing depression and about how it was able to offer him tangible results that he wasn't able to access in his previous career as a CEO. Recently Adam has knitting a colourwork sweater that is designed to promote conversations about mental health.You can follow Adam on Instagram here: @cleevelyknits-------------🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.Here's how to stay in touch:💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

In the second of two episodes, this week I speak to Dr Zoe, a GP specialising in menopause. Zoe's colleagues joined me last week to speak about knitting a blanket for her following her recent cancer diagnosis. Zoe speaks about her long history of using knitting to benefit her mental well-being, how she is using it now during her cancer treatment and how knitting has allowed her to find spaces where being an introvert is celebrated. We also talk about Zoe's views that knitting is a particularly helpful tool during the menopause when we all rely more on our daily coping strategies to manage this transition.To connect with Zoe: Instagram: @manchestermenopausehive-------------🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.Here's how to stay in touch:💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

This week I am joined by Sharon Hartmann, Dr Sarah Ball and Dr Carys Sonnenberg who are all health professionals working in the field of menopause. They have come together to create a shared knitting project in support of two of their colleagues who are going through treatment for cancer. This is the first of two episodes featuring menopause specialists and their colleague Dr Zoe, who is one of the receipients of these special blankets joins me next week.While Sharon is a returning knitter, Sarah and Carys are new to knitting and they all join me to speak about their experience of their joint knitting project. We also discuss their work in the field of menopause and their reflections on how knitting can be particularly beneficial to our mental wellbeing at this time of life.Connect with Dr Carys Sonnenberg:Website: Rowena HealthInstagram: @drcaryssonnenbergYouTube: Two Doctors Chat MenopauseTikTok: Carys SonnenbergConnect with Dr Sarah BallWebsite: Health in MenopauseInstagram: @drsarahmollyballConnect with Sharon HartmannInstagram: @sharonhartmann-------------🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.Here's how to stay in touch:💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

This week I am delighted to be joined by Martyn, host of the Knit365 YouTube channel. I loved speaking to Martyn about his journey from beginning as an accidental knitter, having made an off-the-cuff promise to his grandmother, to a daily knitter with a successful YouTube Channel about his adventures in yarn.It was great to hear how Martyn has discovered the therapeutic benefits of knitting along the way, how he loves the satisfaction of making progress and completing things, and how he now has a knitting project within easy reach wherever he is. It was really interesting to hear how he intentially uses knitting to manage stress and to get his reflections on being a man who knits.-------------🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.Here's how to stay in touch:💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmondConnect with MartynYouTube: Knit365Substack: Knit365Instagram: @welsh_tenor

To kick off series 8 I am deligted to be joined by Beth Gorishek who is also known the Adaptive Knitter. Beth was born with a limb difference and through teaching, speaking and workshops helps knitters to learn how to make adaptations to their knitting practice so that it works for their body. Beth believes that makers are well placed to be adaptive as this is part of the creative process of making and that adaptation is creativity. I also particularly loved Beth's approach to using knitting to carve out small pockets of time for her self-care and to create something meaningful in those moments.I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.Connect with BethWebsite: adaptive knitterInstagram: @adaptiveknitter-------------🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.Here's how to stay in touch:💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

This month we are discussing a paper published in Scientific Reports (part of the prestigious Nature group of peer-reviewed scientific journals) about the impact of crochet on attention.You can read the full paper here.This is a study by neurologists into how crochet impacts on attentional networks. It combines brain imaging with an interesting experimental design. It is a complex read, involving a lot of neuro-speak but we've tried to summarise it in a way that hopefully makes it easy to understand the methods and findings. We have also created a blog to help illustrate the methods and design used, which you can find here.Citation: Rossi Sebastiano, D., Muscio, C., Duran, D. et al. Crochet increases attention through a requiring motor skill learning. Sci Rep 15, 4141 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-88777-9-------------🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.Here's how to stay in touch:💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

I am delighted to announce that Series 8 will be live next month!I have had some really interesting conversations with my guests this series and I can't wait to share them with you.In the meantime, if you'd like to be kept up to date on all the latest news you can sign up to the Creative Restoration Newsletter which is a montly round up of all our events, workshops, podcasts and blogs, along with an update on our own knitting projects!You can sign up here: creative restoration

In our first book club episode, Paula and Mia each discuss a book they have read on the subject of the psychology of craft.Paula has read 'Craftfulness' by Arzu Tahsin and Rosemary DavidsonMia has read 'Craft Psychology' by Dr Anne KirketerpIf you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.-------------🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.Here's how to stay in touch:💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

Join Paula and I as we answer your questions about the field of knitting and mental health. Apologies that the audio quality isn't as good as usual for this episode, we tried out a new method of recording and had a few technical issues.We'll be back at the end of the month with a Book Club episode!If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.-------------🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.Here's how to stay in touch:💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

This month Dr Paula Redmond and I discuss another research paper into knitting and mental health.The paper we discuss is: Joanna Nordstrand, A. Birgitta Gunnarsson & Greta HäggblomKronlöf (2024) Promoting health through yarncraft: Experiences of an online knitting group living with mental illness, Journal of Occupational Science, 31:3, 504-515, The full text of this article is available here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14427591.2023.2292281#abstractIf you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.-------------🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.Here's how to stay in touch:💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

This is our second bonus episode for anyone wanting to know or read more about the research into how knitting can benefit our mental well-being. Fellow clinical psychologist and knitter, Dr Paula Redmond and I will be reading one research paper a month and discussing it in our journal club podcast. We are also planning a Question an Answer episode, so if you have any questions about the research into knitting and mental health or how we use knitting in our work please do email me on mia@therapeuticknitting.org to let me know and we'll try to include as many as we can.This month we are discussing: Riley J, Corkhill B, Morris C. The Benefits of Knitting for Personal and Social Wellbeing in Adulthood: Findings from an International Survey. British Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2013;76(2):50-57. Unfortunately the full article isn't available for free, but options for access are hereI refer to the interview with Betsan Corkhill which you can listen to here: Betsan CorkhillIf you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.-------------🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.Here's how to stay in touch:💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

This is a bonus episode for anyone wanting to know or read more about the research into how knitting can benefit our mental well-being. Fellow clinical psychologist and knitter, Dr Paula Redmond and I will be reading one research paper a month and discussing it in our journal club podcast. This month we are discussing Healing Stitches: a scoping review of the impact of needlcraft on mental health and well-being. The full-text of this article is available here: Healing StitchesI refer to the interview with Betsan Corkhill which you can listen to here: Betsan CorkhillIf you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.-------------🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.Here's how to stay in touch:💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

Have you ever stressed yourself our by overcommitting to gift knitting? Do you end up being exhausted by the festive season? Then we have a bonus episode for you! Subscribe to the Creative Restoration newletter here to receive our bonus episode as soon as it is released on 14th November to help you keep your self-care on track during Christmas, and continue to use knitting to benefit your mental wellbeing.This is the final episode in series 7 - thank you so much for listening!Joining me this week is Kristina LaVenia who is a senior lecturer in leadership at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. She has collaborated with Project Knitwell on research delivering knitting workshops for staff in educational settings.Kristina speaks about her own journey using knitting throughout the pandemic, and her experience of offering this as an intervention to others.You can follow Kristina on Instagram here: @klavenia-------------🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.Here's how to stay in touch:💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

Carole Wyatt is a cancer doctor who has been diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. She speaks about using knitting to cope with the difficult days, and also to create a handknitted legacy to pass down to her future grandchildren. -------------🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.Here's how to stay in touch:💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

Tamanna is a nurse practioner and multi-crafter who works in the field of mental health. Tamanna joins me to speak about her own journey to knitting, sewing and embroidery, how this connects her to family traditions and her values of sustainability and ethical production of clothing.She also speaks about she uses fibre arts to benefit the mental health of herself and others.Tamanna RahmanInstagram: @slow.work.sewingWebsite: slow.work.sewing-------------🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.Here's how to stay in touch:💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

Whitney is a plus size knitter and YouTuber who is passionate about taking back the power to create clothes she loves in colours she enjoys. She speaks about how knitting has helped her to love the body she has, rather than feel that she to change her body to fit the clothes she can buy.Whitney SwinimerWhitney's website: knittedbywhitneyYouTube: Knitted by WhitneyWhitney's article on how knitting helped her to fall in love with her bodyInstagram: @knittedbywhitney-------------🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.Here's how to stay in touch:💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond