Did you know that knitting is very therapeutic and has tons of scientifically proven health benefits? Well, I did not know that when I was a little girl learning to knit from my mom. I can tell you that when I’m knitting, I’m almost always relaxed. It’s extremely difficult to think about other things while you’re focused on counting, knitting, purling, etc. I snack less when I’m knitting since my hands are too busy (though, I wouldn’t be upset if someone invented a way for me to snack while I knit, because who doesn’t love snacks??). It could be the next weight loss thing LOL. Knitting also gives me the opportunity to binge watch (sort of) all of my favorite shows. So I get to laugh, gasp and “c’mon!” through each WIP (work in progress).

According to the Craft Yarn Council, knitters across the world are experiencing tremendous benefits ranging from reduced anxiety levels to improved health related to eating disorders. If I could knit full-time, all day, I probably would. However, I have a full-time, corporate, high-stress job (like so many people), and while I love my job, I’m so happy when I can swap Outlook & Teams for my needles and yarn and just chill. Even walking through a yarn shop (okay, okay, buying [more] yarn) makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop (queue Willy Wonka). Yarn is purely Scrumpdidlyumptious (and it won’t send you to the dentist)!

Various organizations from the Mayo Clinic to Wool and the Gang have done studies, taken surveys, written books and articles about the myriad ways that knitting (and crocheting) help improve the quality of life. If I get to knit and improve my cognitive health, my stress levels, all while make things I love for people I love, then I really can’t ask for anything more. I was pleased to learn how much knitting and handcraft work positively impacts the lives of so many.

Let’s not forget, too, that knitting is an art and a gesture of love. It can take hours, weeks, months to complete a project, so being the giver or the recipient of a handmade gift brings an overwhelming sense of joy because it’s truly something special. After all, someone had to make those mittens for Bernie.

There’s another aspect of knitting that I absolutely love! It’s a bit of a social club—close-knit (ha!) community of friendly people who love to “make.” Knitting is something I have in common with some of my favorite people. In fact, my good friend in Massachusetts stumbled across an old Boston Globe news clipping of some knitting funnies that she shared with me. Regardless of your political views, these clever comics will have you in stitches. And yet another benefit of knitting…

So, whether or not you decide to pick up a set of needles yourself or you’d rather leave it to shops like fortuknit to supply you with all the handmade knits you love, you can rest easy knowing that so many people are laughing, decompressing, binging, yarn hunting, purling and knitting their stress away to create something beautiful and made with love.