Deb's sewing basket

Wire in your medicine cabinet?

"Knit two rows and call me in the morning" is not medical advice, you will see writing on a platform of your doctor, but if we take a closer look, knitting has great benefits for health and well-being. Knitting is a craft not only creative and mentally challenging, but is relaxing, productive, and reducing stress.

We've all heard about the importance exercise to maintain our physical bodies limber and healthy. "The brain is like a muscle," says Arnold Scheibel, MD, chief of UCLA's Brain Research Institute. "The more channels you use, the more reserves you build and the harder it will be for diseases to break it." The key the construction of your brain, says Marion Diamond, Ph.D., professor of integrative biology at the University of California at Berkeley, is to pick something up which is unfamiliar to you and unlike your normal routine … resume sculpture, painting, crossword puzzles, or work on a model complex knitting. (Family Circle Magazine)

Now take my Aunt Hilda, who not only exercised her mental powers but decided to use knitting as an aid in the healing of physical illness. Having recently broken an elbow, impatient with weeks of slow recovery and a lot of discomfort, she went to her local shop, bought for son and began to knit a sweater, finishing it within the week. To her delight, she showed off the new jersey with elbow pain free. She attributes the full enjoyment of knitting in helping her elbow heal and increase its mobility.

Not only physical well-being at stake, but we are now aware of the importance of keeping mental stress at a low level in our lives. A survey of subscribers Vogue Knitting has concluded that 59% of knitters knit for relaxation. The second most popular reason is the satisfaction that is achieved to be creative. Joseph Primavera III, Ph.D., a psychologist who specializes in health psychology, said: "Knitting contains a nice mix of cognitive and behavioral to help manage stress. "While knitting, you are relaxed, sitting comfortably, breathing easily, and you do something you enjoy. A sense of accomplishment comes at the end, when showing off a new sweater. "(Prevention Magazine) This reminds me of a friend who spends his days before a computer screen designing software. When he returned home, he likes nothing better than to relax by working on a complex Fair Isle pattern. Knitting is found to be a calming activity that helps to relieve stresses built up from his daily routine.

So take your medicine regularly – knit to your heart's content, knowing that it is beneficial for your health. That this wonderful profession as a continuum in your life, knitting through all the stages from baby clothes to grandchildren cardigans. Continue to enjoy its surge of creativity and take a meditative break from the stress around us to reflect on something we knitters already knew – our beloved craft is good for us!

© Maddy Cranley.

About the Author

Maddy Cranley is a professional knitwear designer, who has created exclusive designs for knitting and craft magazines, authored and published three books on the subject of knitting and felting, and produces an ever-expanding line of maddy laine and maddy baby handknitting patterns. For additional information, see http://www.maddycraft.com

Modifying Sewing Pattern Tissue: Vogue 8435