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ARTICLE Articles 4 min read

Positive Thinking Through Stitchery: An Article Round-Up

Join us at Maker Festivals Colorado, the ultimate crafting extravaganza in Loveland from April 10-13, 2024, where the beloved Yarn Fest evolves with an exciting addition of beads and jewelry artists!

The mental health benefits of knitting and crochet are well-documented. Both crafts are a great way to keep the mind active and challenged. Both crafts foster a meditative flow state that can block negative thoughts. In most cases, both crafts also make us really, really happy with the process and our finished objects.

But for beginners, those stitching to a deadline, or someone who has just discovered a massive mistake ten rows back, crafts can become the source of, rather than the antidote to, negative thoughts. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by how much there still is left to learn, or how much there is left to stitch.

To help keep things positive and in perspective when stitching, and to remind you of the very real mental health benefits of these crafts, here are a few of my favorite articles we’ve published around the theme of mental health and stress.


Learn about the value of being a beginning knitter in this essay from Alanna Okun

In Praise of Learning: The Value of First Stitches by Alanna Okun

This original essay, written by The Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater author Alanna Okun discusses the challenges of learning something new as a beginner. It’s easy to get bogged down in negativity when things don’t go right at first, but Alanna challenges you to cherish and value your beginner status.

“The older we get, the less comfortable we are with being bad at things. We’ve been conditioned, throughout school and work and just generally moving through the world, to focus on our talents, and to let them define us.”


Knitting is much more conducive to positive thinking than staring at your phone!

Put Down Your Phone and Pick Up Your Knitting by Lisa Shroyer

This well-researched essay paints a stark contrast between one of our “fastest” hobbies and one of our “slowest” ones: cell phones and knitting, respectively. She makes a compelling case for trading in some phone time for some knitting time each day.

“Knitting offers me a mental escape from adulting, with all its anxiety-inducing pressures. It’s like I get to be a kid again for an hour, on the floor of my childhood bedroom, completely absorbed in my Lego castle populated by Matchbox cars, G.I. Joes, and My Little Ponies.”


A combat veteran discusses how crochet helped her find positive thinking in the face of PTSD.

Combat Crochet: A Veteran’s Story by Samantha Nerove

This heartbreaking yet hopeful story documents one veteran’s struggle with PTSD when she returned to the field in Iraq, 18 years after her first tour during Operation Desert Storm. She found incredible relief in crocheting simple flowers for her friends and comrades during her darkest hours. Her ongoing journey toward emotional peace is endlessly inspiring.

“Night after night, I sat on my bunk holding on to life by participating in the wonder of yarns blossoming into flowers and other projects. Creating with fiber became my personal oasis in the desert of my disintegrating self.”


These tips will help infuse some positive thinking into even the most stressful of knitting situations.

You Can Do It! Add Affirmations to Your Crochet Process by Kathryn Vercillo

The author of Crochet Saved My Life and Hook to Heal wrote an article for Interweave Crochet about the challenging practice of incorporating intentional affirmations into your crochet . . . though of course this would work for knitting, too! I challenge you to try this, even if it feels silly.

When we repeat affirmations as we stitch, we ingrain them into our belief system, loop by loop. We stop even hearing the words we are saying, but somehow they move inward, beating in time not only to the stitches, but also to our heartbeat.


Learn about how knitting can serve as a meditation practice.

Medknitation by Suzan Colón

This three-part series from author, yoga instructor, and knitter Suzan Colón sees knitting as a form of mental therapy on par with traditional meditation. She discusses the benefits of a daily “medknitation” practice and offers lots of tips for people who want to give it a try.

“Meditation is about training your focus on one thing so your thoughts gradually recede into the background. . . . The usual points of focus in meditation are your breathing, or a mantra or prayer, but it can also be something active, like walking, eating, and (yes, yay!) knitting or crocheting.”  


You Are Not a Terrible Knitter! Insecurities All Knitters Have by Lisa Shroyer

This very fun article reminds us that we knitters share a lot of the same insecurities and shames . . . and that most of them are nonsense. However many of these insecurities you’ve felt, however long you’ve been knitting, the important thing is that you’re doing it! I especially love the way Lisa talks about reframing knitting a sweater that doesn’t look how you want it to.

“It’s not that YOU don’t look good, it’s that there’s some element of sweater-making and tailoring that you haven’t mastered yet. Put it away for now, and when you’re ready, take it out, put it on, and study what isn’t working. Learn from that—what can you do next time to prevent the problem?”


Crocheting mandalas can be an excellent mindfulness practice.

Seven Steps to Serenity with Crochet Mandalas by Andrea Lotz

I wrote this blog post two years ago when I was struggling with anxiety and negative thoughts. At that time, I found a lot of relief in making simple crocheted mandalas. As an exercise for the blog, I decided to set aside one night to stitch an entire mandala in one sitting. Just for fun, I stitched part of it in the bath!

“Everyone who has put hook to yarn knows that we’re dealing with something powerful here.”


Healing Anxiety Through Knitting by Rachel Simmons

This article offers a perspective on the challenges of caregiving. Rachel Simmons speaks beautifully about the process of knitting a sweater for her partner, dealing with severe anxiety. The sweater brought lots of comfort to the recipient, but it also helped Rachel care for herself while giving good care to her partner.

“I now realize these sessions with my yarn brought me back to the living moment. Without really being aware of what I was doing, I had introduced meditation into my daily routine. While knitting, there was no regret about what happened or what we might miss out on or worry about what was going to happen next; there was only a blissful focus on the now.”


What do you see as the relationship between knitting and/or crochet and positive thinking? And how do you keep negative thoughts at bay when stitchcraft becomes stressful? We’d love to hear your stories in the comments!

Yours in Stitches,

Andrea


Originally posted on March 19, 2020; updated on March 18, 2021.


Want to learn more? Check out these resources:

  • All About Yarn Online Workshop

    $39.99

  • Beginning Crochet Online Workshop with Shannon Leigh Roudhán

    $24.99

  • Fixing Knitting Mistakes Online Workshop

    $24.99

  • Learn to Knit Cables: Mug Cozy and Cowl with Lauren Riker

    $24.99

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