The Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics (CINN) have a study on the beneficial effects or not of crafting – with a particular focus on knitting and crochet. Please complete the survey here.

I did a short piece of research last year on the influence that crafting has on your mood or general wellbeing.  I certainly find that knitting provides me with a certain amount of calm and to some extent a type of meditation.  I find plain knitting of any sort very tedious.  I do however like to have a pattern to follow and particularly one that I can translate into a sequence of numbers.

For most mosaic patterns this is easy.  For example for the Baby Cabin blanket the diamonds section has the first row as slip one, (sl1)  then k eleven. (k11).  Easy to remember.  Later on there is a row that goes – k4, sl1, k3 sl1, k3.  So for me this would translate as – 4, 1, 3, 1, then the repeat would be 7, 1,3, 1  – it makes sense to me.  I think it is this repetition that I find – not soothing, but engaging I suppose. 

There is a long established piece of work being done by Betsan Corkhill at Stitchlinks.  Their main aim is to promote the “use of therapeutic knitting as a healthcare tool – unravelling the neuroscience behind its bilateral, cross midline, rhythmic, automatic movements and the complex combination of physiological, psychological, behavioural, social and creative benefits experienced.”  I think that this means repetitive movements with both hands involved and the behaviours and benefits these can produce.

They are working with (CINN) at Reading University to further investigate the beneficial effects of knitting and crochet – and again, here is the survey link.  There are some quite probing questions and a simple physical response test (I think) at the end that is not compulsory. 

Have a go and see what you think.