Knitting is very meditative for me. My mind stops racing and I stay in the moment, focusing on what I’m doing and enjoying watching the project take shape.
This is so powerful and feel like crafting is so meditative and important for my mental health. I've been knitting and crocheting a while but I feel like spinning is giving me this new level of calmness I don't have with knitting and crocheting. Going a step further with unprocessed and more true to sheep wool gives me such a sense of peace.
Ooh thank you for sharing that. I can only imagine how much peace and calm spinning would bring - even when I watch other people spin (via podcasts and suck), it looks so peaceful!
Knitting, sewing, spinning yarn, weaving....they quiet my mind and keeps me grounded on the truth of My Creator. I understand and relate to your words. Thank you for sharing Eunice :)
I work FT and have 4 young adult children and one grandchild . I was recently diagnosed with stage 4 lobular breast cancer. My yarn and my knitting is where I go for comfort, for some sense of control (I AM going to learn socks), for the simple beauty of the feel and the look of yarn and needles and markers and all of the things. I started with embroidery in my teens and added knitting in my 20's and love them both. Thank you for asking the question - and I am so grateful to have stumbled upon your VLOG. Nice work Eunice. Thank you.
I‘ve started knitting as a serious hobby since the covid times because I felt like I needed something “tangible” out of so much time I had. I felt like I was just wasting my time, watching Netflix while I was stuck at home. Everything was cancelled, I had nothing to do after work and I felt quite lost and useless. Like many people did. After knitting, although the result was not always good, I had something, even a garment that I could wear! I felt just validated and my time had been worthwhile (we spend so much time in knitting, honestly). Thank you for sharing your story and asking us!
Yes! (Super duper late response here, but) absolutely. Thank you for sharing how knitting has played a role in your life. I appreciate you taking the time to comment
Hi E! Thank you for sharing your story about knitting! My intro to fiber arts started with a crochet session with my step-grandmother. Over time I eventually learned how to make blankets and afghans before the pandemic. As a teacher, a mother, a wife, I too felt pulled in too many directions with little time for myself. I have to be "everything" for everyone at their request. I started to crochet garments to deal with the frustrations of life during the pandemic but as unexpected moments kept happening, I turned to knitting. I needed another puzzle to figure out and to feel my existence was more than the titles I have earned. I was taught how to cast on my a co-workers years ago and somehow remembered. I then watched Expression Fibers and Stitch and Sheep. Over time, I graduated from garter stitch scarfs to making my first cardigan. It has given me so much joy to see my hands create garments, blankets, and accessories. I am patient with my family and students. I am able to process my feeling while working too many rounds of stockinette. And it is all mine. My time, body, and finances go towards my little boys but knitting is all mine. No one else is interested in it and I can take a much needed time out to shop or knit. I sincerely appreciate you sharing your story and giving people the invitation to share theirs.
How beautiful. Gosh - thank you so much for sharing. It is absolutely true that we are more than our titles, but it sure doesn't feel that way when we're pulled every which way, right? You are most certainly not alone, and YES. How powerful is it to have something that is just ours?? Also - blessing to you for the work you do as a teacher! I'm married to one, so I got a front row seat to witness how the pandemic has impacted our instructors the last few years. Sending you all the love from SoCal today. I am so glad that you are here.
Love your podcast.❤ When I retired I joined a knitting guild. I could only crochet, but I liked the idea of a fiber community. The group fell apart after Covid but it has since evolved into a “retired women who knit” club that meets every Wednesday. It has been such a joy. And, yes! I learned to knit and LOVE it. Knitting has a meditative quality… almost like saying the rosary.
Hi Pam! Welcome :D I never thought to compare knitting with saying the rosary but you're so right. There is a meditative quality about it, isn't there? Thank you for sharing how you've been able to connect to the fiber community. I'm so glad you have an in-person group with whom you can enjoy this beautiful craft!
I entirely relate to knitting being a friend though tough times, One of the things I find therapeutic about knitting is that it brings me closer to my nana and my oma, both of whom were prolithic knitters, and both of whom sadly passed before I picked up the needles. It brings me a lot of comfort hearing the words "nana would be so proud" or "oma would be so impressed". I cherish the fact that I have a hobby that brings me closer to the people that were gone too soon. I also find knitting therapeutic in a physical sense! I'm autistic and have adhd and the repetitive motions fulfill my sensory needs and where I would be fidgeting, I am now knitting :) I love this podcast from you, its been really insightful, and has lead me to reflect a lot about my relationship with my crafts
Oh, I love that. Thank you so much for sharing. Especially the parts about how the craft brings you closer to loved ones from your personal history. I'm so glad you're tuning in! Thanks for letting me keep you company while you knit. Cheers!
Nice to meet you, Eunice! I knit and spin and dye wool. I could say so much about the therapeutic benefits to me. I'm naturally a bit anxious and overthink everything. Knitting or spinning helps me to be in the moment, feel grounded, feel the wool in my hands. I instantly relax in my body, and the rhythmic movements somehow reach my mind and it slows down and becomes coherent. I am also socially anxious, so if I can, I bring knitting with me to social events, and I feel much more relaxed. My conditioning is to be doing-doing-doing, so knitting and spinning allow me time to be quiet and to relax, yet also be "doing" something productive. The last thing I'll mention is the mental acuity. I swear that knitting/spinning helps me to think more clearly. I've heard this from other knitters as well, and I believe it's a common side-effect. I loved this episode, and I'm subscribing to hear more. Thank you!
Oh that is so wonderful - i also agree that knitting brings a kind of balance to my need to "do" and my need to calm down. Thank you so much for sharing, and nice to meet you too! I'm so glad you are here. :)
So much of what you said is really relatable. Especially the part about the craft being physical and tangible. I'm a software engineer, and most of what I do in my work is very intangible: I basically just write fancy text files, which are inevitably going to be deleted or written over by someone else fairly soon anyway, and half of it never gets released at all. It's a very abstracted experience. Knitting is physical and real and it's not going to disappear... or if it does it's because I frogged it, because I'm in control! It's powerful stuff. The part as well about it being evidence that I exist was also a big one. I'm disabled and immunocompromised, so I've been living in forced isolation for the last 3 years, with no sign of freedom or safe access to medical care anytime soon. As you can imagine most of the people in my life have disappeared, and I feel sometimes like all I exist for is to work. To exist, like you said, only in relation to other people, their perceptions of me, and what they need from me. If I knit something with my hands, it means I'm real and the decisions I made about how to construct it are evident in the thing itself. My hand-knits are a big "Hazel Was Here" sign in the universe. I also really appreciate how clear you were with your boundaries between your professional life and your knitting hobby. That's some real grown up stuff right there, and I just enjoy seeing that. Zero interest in seeking that skill from you personally, but I bet you're a great therapist. Looking forward to seeing more of your videos. If you don't mind I'd love if you wanted to check out my channel too? I'm also a new knitting vlogger and I'd like to make some connections with the community. :)
Hazel!! You are so welcome here. Thank you so much for sharing. I'm glad that my musings were relatable to you. "My hand-knits are a big 'Hazel Was Here' sign in the universe." < I love that so much. :) I hope you will be able to get connected to folks through our channels and through the knitting community at large. Sending much love from SoCal.
I'm so sorry for your loss, Jo. I hope you're able to continue finding comfort with both the craft and the community it brings. Sending love from SoCal.
Knitting/crocheting/crafting has gotten me through some very dark times. I used to read for escapism (starting from about age 3). I didn't have the greatest childhood or young adulthood. We won't get into that (as you said, you're not our therapist). And I was a rabid reader until I had a bit of a breakdown in 2015. Since then, the only thing I've been able to find escapism in is knitting. This is what I can pick up for a few minutes or an hour or two and just lose myself in. Tiny bits of progress add up. Someday, i'm hoping I can find solace in reading again, but for now, I lose focus once I put it down and sometimes I don't pick a book back up again for a year or more. So for now, knitting is it. And I've made so many friends (IRL and pocket friends) through knitting and podcasting
Yes! I am a reading escapist as well 100%. But you're right, sometimes reading doesn't help me cope the way that knitting has. Sending love to you and your journey from SoCal.
I also felt the same after my son was born. I stopped crocheting for the first year because I was figuring out how to keep him alive and who I am now. I'm thankful for my husband for the partnership we share with our son, and now I feel better working on newer projects.
I got distracted by school and career so put my crafts away for several years. When I dusted off my needles to do a baby blanket it only took 15 minutes for me to think "Oh yeah, this is what a peaceful mind feels like. Why did I stop?". Lots of love from the Pacific Northwest 🧡
Hi Eunice - this is my first time of tuning in and I am so glad I did. I 100% agree with your thoughts - crocheting and more recently knitting has given me head space, I’m 54 and married with 3 grown children - I’ve served others all of my life, often giving myself wholly. Crafting had given me an identity of my own. It’s also made me realise that the things I had always told myself I couldn’t do - I could! Thanks - I’ll be back ❤
Hi there! Wow - I'm so glad you're here. Thank you for tuning in and taking the time to comment. Yes, yes, yes to all the things you said. What a gift knitting is to us! Much love from SoCal.
Wow I resonate with everything you shared. It's been nice to do something just for fun and for me. I've only been knitting for a year and a half and I felt, at first, like I needed to knit for others. Outside of my first project, the next several were for expecting mothers. It seemed (and can still seem) selfish to only knit for myself. But you put it so well. This hobby is super comforting and helpful because it's mine. And I enjoy it deeply.
I love you! You are my Three-eyed Raven ;) I was introduced to knitting through fear (the pandemic) but also through passion creativity, beauty, and curiosity. Sometimes though I fear knitting is taking up too much space in my life, I feel I'm drowning in it and I don't want to be doing anything else (depression) I want to be left alone and just knit along till my last days - pretty gloomy I guess. I hope my therapy will deal with this problem and disconnect my passion craft from any associations with depression and dissociation. Anyway, Your channel is just exactly what I needed. Thank You, keep on talking ;) ;) ;)
Ahhh I totally feel that. A friend recently encouraged me to pay attention to the difference between my knitting for escape, and knitting to connect, and that really resonated with me - her point wasn't in judgement, but just an invitation to take notice. I know my reply to you is super super delayed, but I hope you are well! I'm glad you are here. :)
Wow, thank you for putting all of this into words - I can relate to everything, and I’m so grateful for everything this hobby is for me. Also - love your podcast 🥰
Thank you for this Podcast! I learnt crocheting during my first stay in a clinic, and knitting during my second stay, and those were really important tools for me, still are!
I will try and list a few things... It helps with dissociating, the feel of the wool, the clicking of the needles... gives me something to stay grounded It helps with anxiety, when I know I need to move instead of freezing, but getting up feels too much, moving my hands releases some of the pressure It helps with my trichotillomania when I have something to keep both of my hands busy I received so much support and help during bad times, and I always felt I had nothing to give back, so crocheting or knitting little things for others is a good way to express my gratitude, and it helps me feel this gratitude myself while doing it Crocheting or knitting is also a way of being in a group and able to socialise without too much pressure to participate in the conversation, and it even gives you a socially acceptable excuse to not look people in the eye Also, when you are a patient, you will spend looots of time in waiting rooms, and with nothing to do, this can lead to overthinking or feeling "useless"
Wow, Polly-Jean, how powerful! Thank you so much for sharing all of this! Your thoughtfulness and insight about what knitting is to you is so evident here. Sending love to you from SoCal.
Eunice, this ep was wonderful. Thank you! My “baby” is about to turn 12, but listening to your podcast today sent me back in time to being a new mother, desperately trying to find who I was, too. I remember needing to have something that was just me - not me as mother, parent, worker, daughter… all the other labels I felt I carried. Listening to you, I remembered having that exact same conversation with myself. After having my baby, I enrolled into a language class, and for that time each week, I was just Jody. I wasn’t identified by who I was to other people, and it was so freeing. My knitting has done the same thing for me. It’s given me solace, purpose, joy, it’s made me realise that things that look hard from the outset are actually not so difficult if I just break it down step by step and do it without worrying about what comes next. It’s helped me through boredom, anxiety (oh how it’s helped in the last few years), and it’s proven to me that I can be part of something beautiful. 😊 I’m really enjoying your podcast and look forward to seeing why you come up with.
Jody, thank you so much for sharing. I esp love what you said about how the process of knitting difficult things helps with your outlook on various aspects of life overall - "break it down step by step." :) You are indeed a part of something beautiful. Much love from SoCal.
Omg…thank you so much for this video!! I needed this right now. I will save this video and watch it many times. I am going through a rough patch right now and thankfully I can turn to knitting for some solace. There are times in life when no one can relate to what we are going through- even those closest to us. Knitting is my refuge. Thanks again! I’m looking forward to many more of your videos!! May you be blessed beyond measure!!❤
Hi there - it's been almost a year since your comment, but I hope you're doing well! Thank you for having taken the time to comment those many months ago - I hope your rough patch has a bit more peace these days.
Thanks for sharing, it was nice to hear I'm not alone in what knitting brings to me. I picked it back up when you youngest daughter was 1 yo, I loved the fact it is tangible and i could make all the decisions about what I'm making without having to coordinate with anyone else. I love your reflection on knitting an item is proof of your existence, that is very insightful and is so true! Look forward to your next video---watching from northern california! take care
Thank you for taking the time to connect, Kim! You are 100% not alone, and I'm encouraged that putting words to our experiences has brought something positive to you. :) Thanks again for being here.
Myyy goodness! I fully understand the feelings after having my children… body, hormones, thoughts were ALL over the place. Knitting/ Crochet GROUNDED me. Plus I LOVE creating things out of 2 sticks/1 hook and some colored string 🧶 🤷🏾♀️😁
Haha!! I love that. Such powerful stuff we can create with some sticks and string, right??? Absolutely grounding.. 100%. Thank you for being here! And for letting me know that your experiences resonated with mine 💕
I’m so glad I found your channel. I was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer in November 2022. Surgery in December (very small tumor, clean margins, no lymph nodes involved). Chemo in February 2023 - 12 weekly doses of 2 meds, 13 additional doses of a second drug every 3 weeks. Radiation for 20 days in June. I’m 65 years old, have rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren’s syndrome and there’s a pandemic! My physician-husband has all but grounded me. My sew-Jo disappeared. But knitting has kept me busy, entertained, and happy during this time. Your words about control speak to my heart - and my brain. THANK YOU!
Oh my goodness. Alison, I am so glad you are here. Thank you for sharing this with me - I am honored to be in your company. :) I pray for good health and continued joy as you continue to knit! Thank you again for your comment. Much love from SoCal!
Thanks for sharing! I went through a very anxious phase over a year ago. I decided to start crocheting to keep my mind focused on the present… 6 months later I started knittting and i got obsessed. My mom was a knitter but she never taught me or my sister… Knitting has played a huge part on getting my anxiety under control.
Hello Eunice. I’m just down the road from you in San Diego. So happy to see another knitter here in Southern California. Just like you I am the only knitter in my family. My children are grown now but I actually was a maker throughout their childhood. I sewed, cross-stitched, embroidered, scrapbooked all through their childhood. My making was for me. I needed that. My children were always welcome to sew with me and sit next to me as I made things. I wanted them both to see me not only as a their mom,but as someone who had interests and had talents and was proud of those talents. I took up knitting 8 years ago after wanting to learn for so long and i haven’t looked back. Me and my yarn stash are having so much fun.😊
Hi Irma! Thank you so much for sharing. I love what you said so much - that you wanted your kids to also see you as more than just their mother. :) Haha and yay for you and your yarn stash!
Hello Eunice! Thank you for sharing with us today. I learned to knit from my mom when I was 4 or 5. Picked it up again in high school and then again after college. I'm learning so much about the craft of knitting from watching RUclipsrs like yourself. As much as you are an extrovert, I am an introvert. Knitting give my over active brain something to focus on that is positive. I am a mom, a widow, a biologist, a gardener, an animal rescuer, an IT tech support person. I have many interests but the thing about knitting is that you can take it with you where ever you go, squeeze in a bit here and there. Listen to podcasts and still be productively knitting. I've only recently realized that when I am knitting I am creating a fabric. I like that thought and I love that I can control what that fabric is doing, how it is draping (or not draping), how dense it is, how lacy it is - so many things. I'm learning about things like ease. Wow, that was a big one. I'm learning that I need to master gauge and learn more about how I can adjust needle size or yarn thickness to get a different gauge. So much to learn! Please know that I am enjoying your podcast and all the things you are sharing with us. Thank you! -- Knitting with great joy in Flagstaff, AZ -- Julezze
Hi Julezze - wow, thank you so much for taking the time to share that. Portability is definitely one major thing about this craft that has helped it remain in my life after many other crafts/hobbies have come and gone. It's also great that after all these years, the craft continues to teach us more and more. :) Thank you for being here, and thanks again for sharing a bit of your story!
Eunice, you are such a joy! I love hearing you talk about this topic. I resonated with a lot of this. I didn't pick up crochet/knitting until after having my kid and mid-pandemic. A lot of anxiety issues emerged around that time for me, and yarn crafts have kept me grounded and tethered to a piece of myself.
Amen to all of that. And wow! I never realized that your yarn crafting journey started only a few years ago! You have such talent, Alice. :) Thankful for you!
Wow loved this video! 😍 I’m a physiotherapist and I could really relate to the things you said about your job not giving you anything you can really see and touch. Knitting truly is grounding 💛
Interesting. I feel that I have anxiety and both knitting and yoga help me. I attribute it to distracting my thoughts to "the now". I read The Power of Now (too heavy and could be summed up in a few sentences to me). It is hard to think about the toilet that needs fixing if you are focused on your german short rows or doing sunrise salutations, lol.
Thank you for sharing this-- from the disclaimer to your reasons for knitting, especially the last one. I enjoyed knitting before my son was born, but it became so much deeper after experiencing PPD. Gosh, this made me tear up thinking about knitting and what it means to me! It gave me a tangible way to connect with my son while struggling with PPD through knitting for him.
Oh, Hannah - thank you so much for sharing. Esp knowing how much O plays a role in the maker (and designer!) you're becoming, it's ever more beautiful to hear how knitting has given you a way to connect with your son PP.
Imagine how special that teenager on the bus would feel if she knew what an effect she had had on your life. I'm sure she had no idea at the time. XOXO
So well spoken. Knitting (and making in general) has been a constant in my life since college. I think it has been one way for me to continue exploring my world as I did as a child. As you expressed so beautifully, it is also tangible evidence of my existence, and a way to ground myself everyday. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Thank you, Kym. And yes! There is something about crafting and creating that allows us to get in touch with our inner child, isn't there? :) That's so lovely. Thank you for being here!
Hi Eunice! Thank you so much for sharing this! I really enjoyed this video and yes - I can actually relate to all of the points you made. Almost my entire life i suffered from depression and mature anxiety and knitting is indeed very therapeutic for me. Really, it´s amazing to give yourself a place in which you can talk about this thing you love and that helps you so much - with people that actually get what it´s all about and can relate. I´m really hyped for more videos from you to come :)
I don't feel the need to be a perfectionist or obsessively tid, but do count things 😬 So, knitting more than fulfills that compulsion. I'm sure that's not the mentally healthiest reason to knit. I don't necessarily want the things I knit but enjoy the process, especially if it's something new to count 😬
Ooh you're so right. I can totally understand how counting would feel soothing and bring some relief. Thank you for sharing how knitting is uniquely satisfying for you, Cielo!
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Knitting is very meditative for me. My mind stops racing and I stay in the moment, focusing on what I’m doing and enjoying watching the project take shape.
This is so powerful and feel like crafting is so meditative and important for my mental health. I've been knitting and crocheting a while but I feel like spinning is giving me this new level of calmness I don't have with knitting and crocheting. Going a step further with unprocessed and more true to sheep wool gives me such a sense of peace.
Ooh thank you for sharing that. I can only imagine how much peace and calm spinning would bring - even when I watch other people spin (via podcasts and suck), it looks so peaceful!
Knitting, sewing, spinning yarn, weaving....they quiet my mind and keeps me grounded on the truth of My Creator. I understand and relate to your words. Thank you for sharing Eunice :)
Love that! Thank you for sharing, too Maria. :)
You have articulated what I probably couldn’t have about why I love knitting. Thank you.
Knitting gives me a sense of pride and achievement when I wear something I have made or a finish a large project.
100% agree. Thanks for sharing!
I work FT and have 4 young adult children and one grandchild . I was recently diagnosed with stage 4 lobular breast cancer. My yarn and my knitting is where I go for comfort, for some sense of control (I AM going to learn socks), for the simple beauty of the feel and the look of yarn and needles and markers and all of the things. I started with embroidery in my teens and added knitting in my 20's and love them both. Thank you for asking the question - and I am so grateful to have stumbled upon your VLOG. Nice work Eunice. Thank you.
Thank you so much for sharing, Linda. I hope that this craft can continue to bring you ALL the comfort during this healing process.
I am saying a prayer for you right now.
PLEASE don't ever stop making your videos! I nodded my head in agreement so much during this video my neck hurts! This is amazing, thank you!
Ahahaha i love that. And thank you for your kind words! I was gone for a hot minute but I'm hopefully back for a longer stretch this time. :)
I‘ve started knitting as a serious hobby since the covid times because I felt like I needed something “tangible” out of so much time I had. I felt like I was just wasting my time, watching Netflix while I was stuck at home. Everything was cancelled, I had nothing to do after work and I felt quite lost and useless. Like many people did. After knitting, although the result was not always good, I had something, even a garment that I could wear! I felt just validated and my time had been worthwhile (we spend so much time in knitting, honestly). Thank you for sharing your story and asking us!
Yes! (Super duper late response here, but) absolutely. Thank you for sharing how knitting has played a role in your life. I appreciate you taking the time to comment
Hi E! Thank you for sharing your story about knitting! My intro to fiber arts started with a crochet session with my step-grandmother. Over time I eventually learned how to make blankets and afghans before the pandemic. As a teacher, a mother, a wife, I too felt pulled in too many directions with little time for myself. I have to be "everything" for everyone at their request. I started to crochet garments to deal with the frustrations of life during the pandemic but as unexpected moments kept happening, I turned to knitting. I needed another puzzle to figure out and to feel my existence was more than the titles I have earned. I was taught how to cast on my a co-workers years ago and somehow remembered. I then watched Expression Fibers and Stitch and Sheep. Over time, I graduated from garter stitch scarfs to making my first cardigan. It has given me so much joy to see my hands create garments, blankets, and accessories. I am patient with my family and students. I am able to process my feeling while working too many rounds of stockinette. And it is all mine. My time, body, and finances go towards my little boys but knitting is all mine. No one else is interested in it and I can take a much needed time out to shop or knit.
I sincerely appreciate you sharing your story and giving people the invitation to share theirs.
How beautiful. Gosh - thank you so much for sharing. It is absolutely true that we are more than our titles, but it sure doesn't feel that way when we're pulled every which way, right? You are most certainly not alone, and YES. How powerful is it to have something that is just ours??
Also - blessing to you for the work you do as a teacher! I'm married to one, so I got a front row seat to witness how the pandemic has impacted our instructors the last few years. Sending you all the love from SoCal today. I am so glad that you are here.
Love your podcast.❤ When I retired I joined a knitting guild. I could only crochet, but I liked the idea of a fiber community. The group fell apart after Covid but it has since evolved into a “retired women who knit” club that meets every Wednesday. It has been such a joy. And, yes! I learned to knit and LOVE it. Knitting has a meditative quality… almost like saying the rosary.
Hi Pam! Welcome :D
I never thought to compare knitting with saying the rosary but you're so right. There is a meditative quality about it, isn't there?
Thank you for sharing how you've been able to connect to the fiber community. I'm so glad you have an in-person group with whom you can enjoy this beautiful craft!
I entirely relate to knitting being a friend though tough times, One of the things I find therapeutic about knitting is that it brings me closer to my nana and my oma, both of whom were prolithic knitters, and both of whom sadly passed before I picked up the needles. It brings me a lot of comfort hearing the words "nana would be so proud" or "oma would be so impressed". I cherish the fact that I have a hobby that brings me closer to the people that were gone too soon.
I also find knitting therapeutic in a physical sense! I'm autistic and have adhd and the repetitive motions fulfill my sensory needs and where I would be fidgeting, I am now knitting :) I love this podcast from you, its been really insightful, and has lead me to reflect a lot about my relationship with my crafts
Oh, I love that. Thank you so much for sharing. Especially the parts about how the craft brings you closer to loved ones from your personal history. I'm so glad you're tuning in! Thanks for letting me keep you company while you knit. Cheers!
Nice to meet you, Eunice! I knit and spin and dye wool. I could say so much about the therapeutic benefits to me. I'm naturally a bit anxious and overthink everything. Knitting or spinning helps me to be in the moment, feel grounded, feel the wool in my hands. I instantly relax in my body, and the rhythmic movements somehow reach my mind and it slows down and becomes coherent. I am also socially anxious, so if I can, I bring knitting with me to social events, and I feel much more relaxed. My conditioning is to be doing-doing-doing, so knitting and spinning allow me time to be quiet and to relax, yet also be "doing" something productive. The last thing I'll mention is the mental acuity. I swear that knitting/spinning helps me to think more clearly. I've heard this from other knitters as well, and I believe it's a common side-effect. I loved this episode, and I'm subscribing to hear more. Thank you!
Oh that is so wonderful - i also agree that knitting brings a kind of balance to my need to "do" and my need to calm down. Thank you so much for sharing, and nice to meet you too! I'm so glad you are here. :)
So much of what you said is really relatable. Especially the part about the craft being physical and tangible. I'm a software engineer, and most of what I do in my work is very intangible: I basically just write fancy text files, which are inevitably going to be deleted or written over by someone else fairly soon anyway, and half of it never gets released at all. It's a very abstracted experience. Knitting is physical and real and it's not going to disappear... or if it does it's because I frogged it, because I'm in control! It's powerful stuff.
The part as well about it being evidence that I exist was also a big one. I'm disabled and immunocompromised, so I've been living in forced isolation for the last 3 years, with no sign of freedom or safe access to medical care anytime soon. As you can imagine most of the people in my life have disappeared, and I feel sometimes like all I exist for is to work. To exist, like you said, only in relation to other people, their perceptions of me, and what they need from me. If I knit something with my hands, it means I'm real and the decisions I made about how to construct it are evident in the thing itself. My hand-knits are a big "Hazel Was Here" sign in the universe.
I also really appreciate how clear you were with your boundaries between your professional life and your knitting hobby. That's some real grown up stuff right there, and I just enjoy seeing that. Zero interest in seeking that skill from you personally, but I bet you're a great therapist.
Looking forward to seeing more of your videos. If you don't mind I'd love if you wanted to check out my channel too? I'm also a new knitting vlogger and I'd like to make some connections with the community. :)
Hazel!! You are so welcome here. Thank you so much for sharing. I'm glad that my musings were relatable to you. "My hand-knits are a big 'Hazel Was Here' sign in the universe." < I love that so much. :) I hope you will be able to get connected to folks through our channels and through the knitting community at large. Sending much love from SoCal.
I lost my husband in February 2021. Knitting has filled the long, lonely evening time and become a constant companion and comfort
I'm so sorry for your loss, Jo. I hope you're able to continue finding comfort with both the craft and the community it brings. Sending love from SoCal.
Knitting/crocheting/crafting has gotten me through some very dark times. I used to read for escapism (starting from about age 3). I didn't have the greatest childhood or young adulthood. We won't get into that (as you said, you're not our therapist). And I was a rabid reader until I had a bit of a breakdown in 2015. Since then, the only thing I've been able to find escapism in is knitting. This is what I can pick up for a few minutes or an hour or two and just lose myself in. Tiny bits of progress add up. Someday, i'm hoping I can find solace in reading again, but for now, I lose focus once I put it down and sometimes I don't pick a book back up again for a year or more. So for now, knitting is it. And I've made so many friends (IRL and pocket friends) through knitting and podcasting
Yes! I am a reading escapist as well 100%. But you're right, sometimes reading doesn't help me cope the way that knitting has. Sending love to you and your journey from SoCal.
I also felt the same after my son was born. I stopped crocheting for the first year because I was figuring out how to keep him alive and who I am now. I'm thankful for my husband for the partnership we share with our son, and now I feel better working on newer projects.
That is awesome. Thank goodness for partners who give us the margin to pursue our own things! Thanks so much for sharing, Sara.
I got distracted by school and career so put my crafts away for several years. When I dusted off my needles to do a baby blanket it only took 15 minutes for me to think "Oh yeah, this is what a peaceful mind feels like. Why did I stop?". Lots of love from the Pacific Northwest 🧡
YES. There is most definitely a peace that comes with this craft, isn't there? Thank you so much for sharing.
Hi Eunice - this is my first time of tuning in and I am so glad I did. I 100% agree with your thoughts - crocheting and more recently knitting has given me head space, I’m 54 and married with 3 grown children - I’ve served others all of my life, often giving myself wholly. Crafting had given me an identity of my own. It’s also made me realise that the things I had always told myself I couldn’t do - I could! Thanks - I’ll be back ❤
Hi there! Wow - I'm so glad you're here. Thank you for tuning in and taking the time to comment. Yes, yes, yes to all the things you said. What a gift knitting is to us! Much love from SoCal.
So much of what you said about knitting resonates with me. It's a blessing and a joy!
Wow I resonate with everything you shared. It's been nice to do something just for fun and for me. I've only been knitting for a year and a half and I felt, at first, like I needed to knit for others. Outside of my first project, the next several were for expecting mothers. It seemed (and can still seem) selfish to only knit for myself. But you put it so well. This hobby is super comforting and helpful because it's mine. And I enjoy it deeply.
I love you! You are my Three-eyed Raven ;) I was introduced to knitting through fear (the pandemic) but also through passion creativity, beauty, and curiosity. Sometimes though I fear knitting is taking up too much space in my life, I feel I'm drowning in it and I don't want to be doing anything else (depression) I want to be left alone and just knit along till my last days - pretty gloomy I guess. I hope my therapy will deal with this problem and disconnect my passion craft from any associations with depression and dissociation. Anyway, Your channel is just exactly what I needed. Thank You, keep on talking ;) ;) ;)
Ahhh I totally feel that. A friend recently encouraged me to pay attention to the difference between my knitting for escape, and knitting to connect, and that really resonated with me - her point wasn't in judgement, but just an invitation to take notice. I know my reply to you is super super delayed, but I hope you are well! I'm glad you are here. :)
Wow, thank you for putting all of this into words - I can relate to everything, and I’m so grateful for everything this hobby is for me.
Also - love your podcast 🥰
Absolutely. Thank you so much for letting me know that you resonated with this.
Thank you for this Podcast!
I learnt crocheting during my first stay in a clinic, and knitting during my second stay, and those were really important tools for me, still are!
I will try and list a few things...
It helps with dissociating, the feel of the wool, the clicking of the needles... gives me something to stay grounded
It helps with anxiety, when I know I need to move instead of freezing, but getting up feels too much, moving my hands releases some of the pressure
It helps with my trichotillomania when I have something to keep both of my hands busy
I received so much support and help during bad times, and I always felt I had nothing to give back, so crocheting or knitting little things for others is a good way to express my gratitude, and it helps me feel this gratitude myself while doing it
Crocheting or knitting is also a way of being in a group and able to socialise without too much pressure to participate in the conversation, and it even gives you a socially acceptable excuse to not look people in the eye
Also, when you are a patient, you will spend looots of time in waiting rooms, and with nothing to do, this can lead to overthinking or feeling "useless"
Wow, Polly-Jean, how powerful! Thank you so much for sharing all of this! Your thoughtfulness and insight about what knitting is to you is so evident here. Sending love to you from SoCal.
Eunice, this ep was wonderful. Thank you! My “baby” is about to turn 12, but listening to your podcast today sent me back in time to being a new mother, desperately trying to find who I was, too. I remember needing to have something that was just me - not me as mother, parent, worker, daughter… all the other labels I felt I carried. Listening to you, I remembered having that exact same conversation with myself. After having my baby, I enrolled into a language class, and for that time each week, I was just Jody. I wasn’t identified by who I was to other people, and it was so freeing. My knitting has done the same thing for me. It’s given me solace, purpose, joy, it’s made me realise that things that look hard from the outset are actually not so difficult if I just break it down step by step and do it without worrying about what comes next. It’s helped me through boredom, anxiety (oh how it’s helped in the last few years), and it’s proven to me that I can be part of something beautiful. 😊
I’m really enjoying your podcast and look forward to seeing why you come up with.
Jody, thank you so much for sharing. I esp love what you said about how the process of knitting difficult things helps with your outlook on various aspects of life overall - "break it down step by step." :) You are indeed a part of something beautiful. Much love from SoCal.
Omg…thank you so much for this video!! I needed this right now. I will save this video and watch it many times. I am going through a rough patch right now and thankfully I can turn to knitting for some solace. There are times in life when no one can relate to what we are going through- even those closest to us. Knitting is my refuge. Thanks again! I’m looking forward to many more of your videos!! May you be blessed beyond measure!!❤
Hi there - it's been almost a year since your comment, but I hope you're doing well! Thank you for having taken the time to comment those many months ago - I hope your rough patch has a bit more peace these days.
Thanks for sharing, it was nice to hear I'm not alone in what knitting brings to me. I picked it back up when you youngest daughter was 1 yo, I loved the fact it is tangible and i could make all the decisions about what I'm making without having to coordinate with anyone else. I love your reflection on knitting an item is proof of your existence, that is very insightful and is so true! Look forward to your next video---watching from northern california! take care
Thank you for taking the time to connect, Kim! You are 100% not alone, and I'm encouraged that putting words to our experiences has brought something positive to you. :) Thanks again for being here.
Myyy goodness! I fully understand the feelings after having my children… body, hormones, thoughts were ALL over the place.
Knitting/ Crochet GROUNDED me. Plus I LOVE creating things out of 2 sticks/1 hook and some colored string 🧶 🤷🏾♀️😁
Haha!! I love that. Such powerful stuff we can create with some sticks and string, right??? Absolutely grounding.. 100%.
Thank you for being here! And for letting me know that your experiences resonated with mine 💕
Yes, yes, yes to all of it. Thankyou for putting into words how it feels.
I’m so glad I found your channel. I was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer in November 2022. Surgery in December (very small tumor, clean margins, no lymph nodes involved). Chemo in February 2023 - 12 weekly doses of 2 meds, 13 additional doses of a second drug every 3 weeks. Radiation for 20 days in June. I’m 65 years old, have rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren’s syndrome and there’s a pandemic! My physician-husband has all but grounded me. My sew-Jo disappeared. But knitting has kept me busy, entertained, and happy during this time. Your words about control speak to my heart - and my brain. THANK YOU!
Oh my goodness. Alison, I am so glad you are here. Thank you for sharing this with me - I am honored to be in your company. :) I pray for good health and continued joy as you continue to knit! Thank you again for your comment. Much love from SoCal!
Keep on knitting! It helps. (stage 4 LBC, 2 more chemo sessions left (started in Dec 2022) Sending healing love.
@@lindadew-hiersoux5729 💕
Thanks for sharing! I went through a very anxious phase over a year ago. I decided to start crocheting to keep my mind focused on the present… 6 months later I started knittting and i got obsessed. My mom was a knitter but she never taught me or my sister… Knitting has played a huge part on getting my anxiety under control.
Thank you so much for sharing. There is definitely something about knitting/crocheting that helps to focus on the here and now. 100%!
Hello Eunice. I’m just down the road from you in San Diego. So happy to see another knitter here in Southern California. Just like you I am the only knitter in my family. My children are grown now but I actually was a maker throughout their childhood. I sewed, cross-stitched, embroidered, scrapbooked all through their childhood. My making was for me. I needed that. My children were always welcome to sew with me and sit next to me as I made things. I wanted them both to see me not only as a their mom,but as someone who had interests and had talents and was proud of those talents. I took up knitting 8 years ago after wanting to learn for so long and i haven’t looked back. Me and my yarn stash are having so much fun.😊
Hi Irma! Thank you so much for sharing. I love what you said so much - that you wanted your kids to also see you as more than just their mother. :) Haha and yay for you and your yarn stash!
This was a great podcast!!! ♥️🐑♥️🐑♥️
Hello Eunice! Thank you for sharing with us today. I learned to knit from my mom when I was 4 or 5. Picked it up again in high school and then again after college. I'm learning so much about the craft of knitting from watching RUclipsrs like yourself. As much as you are an extrovert, I am an introvert. Knitting give my over active brain something to focus on that is positive. I am a mom, a widow, a biologist, a gardener, an animal rescuer, an IT tech support person. I have many interests but the thing about knitting is that you can take it with you where ever you go, squeeze in a bit here and there. Listen to podcasts and still be productively knitting. I've only recently realized that when I am knitting I am creating a fabric. I like that thought and I love that I can control what that fabric is doing, how it is draping (or not draping), how dense it is, how lacy it is - so many things. I'm learning about things like ease. Wow, that was a big one. I'm learning that I need to master gauge and learn more about how I can adjust needle size or yarn thickness to get a different gauge. So much to learn! Please know that I am enjoying your podcast and all the things you are sharing with us. Thank you! -- Knitting with great joy in Flagstaff, AZ -- Julezze
Hi Julezze - wow, thank you so much for taking the time to share that. Portability is definitely one major thing about this craft that has helped it remain in my life after many other crafts/hobbies have come and gone. It's also great that after all these years, the craft continues to teach us more and more. :) Thank you for being here, and thanks again for sharing a bit of your story!
@@therapybycraft ❤
Eunice, you are such a joy! I love hearing you talk about this topic. I resonated with a lot of this. I didn't pick up crochet/knitting until after having my kid and mid-pandemic. A lot of anxiety issues emerged around that time for me, and yarn crafts have kept me grounded and tethered to a piece of myself.
Amen to all of that. And wow! I never realized that your yarn crafting journey started only a few years ago! You have such talent, Alice. :) Thankful for you!
Loved it!
Wow loved this video! 😍 I’m a physiotherapist and I could really relate to the things you said about your job not giving you anything you can really see and touch. Knitting truly is grounding 💛
Yes! Absolutely. :)
Interesting. I feel that I have anxiety and both knitting and yoga help me. I attribute it to distracting my thoughts to "the now". I read The Power of Now (too heavy and could be summed up in a few sentences to me). It is hard to think about the toilet that needs fixing if you are focused on your german short rows or doing sunrise salutations, lol.
Hahah i love it. :) Yes, absolutely - anything that can help ground and bring me back to the now is so helpful in calming me down.
Thank you for sharing this-- from the disclaimer to your reasons for knitting, especially the last one. I enjoyed knitting before my son was born, but it became so much deeper after experiencing PPD. Gosh, this made me tear up thinking about knitting and what it means to me! It gave me a tangible way to connect with my son while struggling with PPD through knitting for him.
Oh, Hannah - thank you so much for sharing. Esp knowing how much O plays a role in the maker (and designer!) you're becoming, it's ever more beautiful to hear how knitting has given you a way to connect with your son PP.
Imagine how special that teenager on the bus would feel if she knew what an effect she had had on your life. I'm sure she had no idea at the time. XOXO
That's so true!! If I could see her again, I'd totally let her know she's changed my life.
So well spoken. Knitting (and making in general) has been a constant in my life since college. I think it has been one way for me to continue exploring my world as I did as a child. As you expressed so beautifully, it is also tangible evidence of my existence, and a way to ground myself everyday. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Thank you, Kym. And yes! There is something about crafting and creating that allows us to get in touch with our inner child, isn't there? :) That's so lovely. Thank you for being here!
Yes to all the above! It is a very satisfying thing to do and got me through several losses in my family. Looking forward to more of your podcasts!
Thank you for taking the time to share that, Leslie. I'm so glad you're here!
Hi Eunice! Thank you so much for sharing this! I really enjoyed this video and yes - I can actually relate to all of the points you made. Almost my entire life i suffered from depression and mature anxiety and knitting is indeed very therapeutic for me. Really, it´s amazing to give yourself a place in which you can talk about this thing you love and that helps you so much - with people that actually get what it´s all about and can relate. I´m really hyped for more videos from you to come :)
Hi Katha! Ah, thank you so much. I'm so encouraged to connect with those who can relate! I'm so glad you're here. :) Thanks for sharing.
I don't feel the need to be a perfectionist or obsessively tid, but do count things 😬 So, knitting more than fulfills that compulsion. I'm sure that's not the mentally healthiest reason to knit. I don't necessarily want the things I knit but enjoy the process, especially if it's something new to count 😬
Ooh you're so right. I can totally understand how counting would feel soothing and bring some relief. Thank you for sharing how knitting is uniquely satisfying for you, Cielo!
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