What Does Self-Care Knitting Look Like to You?

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This time of year is perfect for self-care knitting, whatever that looks like for you. Gift-knitting season is over and there are still a few chilly months left to savor those hygge vibes. However, it’s a deep low for seasonal affective disorder (and, this year, a global pandemic) as we wait for sunshine. Plus there’s Valentine’s Day (a.k.a. Single’s Awareness Day) to contend with; even if a ball of yarn is the only Valentine you’re interested in, things can get a little blue in February.

Our editors share how their knitting changes when mind and body start sending signals that it’s time for some intentional rest. Some of us turn to our stashes and WIPs/UFOs, some knit acres and acres of garter stitch, and others focus on garments that make us feel great about our bodies. But we all know that knitting is a source of comfort we can turn to time and again when we need to slow down.

What type of knitting helps most to restore your sense of calm?

Slowing Down, Swatching, Sizing, and Smiling

Kerry Bogert, Content Manager Yarn

My dearest knitting friends often get overly eager text messages from me showing the latest project and yarn combo I’m excited to cast on. Then they get several dozen more throughout the process of said project with me worried about whether the project is going to be the right size or not. (Why does everything look so small when on the needles, even when you swatched?) So, for me, self-care knitting is about slowing down, taking the time to do a proper swatch, measuring my body as it is now—it helps no one to go off sizes from several months or years ago—and knitting the right size for me based on my gauge. I know if I take the time to do those things, I’ll be smiling more in the long run and happy to have a finished project that fits my body.

Pick Up Those UFOs

Laura Hulslander, Former Managing Editor

In these Uncertain Times™, I need small projects that have a definite finish line; that sense of accomplishment helps keep me sane. During my most recent craft room cleanout, I found a pair of Passerine Socks that I started over two years ago as my “meeting knitting.” I got to the point where I needed to try them on and figure out when to start the toe, which meant they became a TERRIBLE project for knitting at work. (No one wants to see their coworkers’ bare feet in the office. It’s gross, y’all.) So they got set aside and forgotten.

However, now that we’re all working from home, I can try them on as needed! I’m looking forward to having a project I can finish in a reasonable amount of time.

Think Garments for the Future

Julia Pillard, Digital Content Editor

This past year did a number on my sense of time. In many ways, I still feel like I’m living in March of last year. In an effort to get out of that slump, I’m trying to look to the future with my knitting, which for me means knitting things a season before I plan on wearing them. This spring, I’m hoping to knit Puck’s Tunic by designer Susanna IC in preparation for the summer.

This top is the perfect knitting for me; simple enough to lose myself in it, but complex enough to keep things interesting. The top consists of two rectangles seamed together at the sides with a simple zigzag lace pattern on the front and back. I have some gorgeous Tussah Kissed yarn from Plymouth in Smokey Blue that I think will look absolutely stunning.

Keep It To Garter Stitch

Joni Coniglio, Senior Project Editor

These past years have been challenging for all of us. And when I found out in December that I needed to have eye surgery “sooner rather than later,” it took a real effort not to let the additional stress get to me. In times like this, I try to shift my focus to anything that will help me regain my equilibrium. For me, this means picking up my knitting.

But because the recovery period after surgery would require a week or so of limited vision and mobility, I knew I needed a project that wouldn’t require a lot of brain power and that would allow my hands to work without too much guidance.

Fortunately, I had just the project. My daughter, Gianna, had been asking me to make her a garter stitch pullover and this seemed like the perfect time to cast on for that. The simple top-down construction and easy garter stitch was exactly what I needed to get me through the days after surgery.

Knit Guilt-Free From Your Stash

Stephanie White, Former Editor

I have a lot of yarn. If I really applied myself, I could probably knit it all up over the next ten to twenty years, but so far, I haven’t really applied myself. I love my yarn stash, but it is also a major source of guilt. I can feel it staring at me from the closet each time I look at yarn online, and it’s not wrong: I don’t need more yarn.

The best way I’ve found to sooth my troubled mind and appease my judgemental stash is to just knit with it already! Take down those gorgeous skeins, dream up big projects for them, and do a little selfish knitting. Or is it self-care knitting? Either way, I know I breathe a little easier when I have stash yarn on my needles.

Back to the “Selfish” Knitting

Tammy Honaman, Director of Content

Unlike my jewelry-making hobby that turned into a career, knitting truly is and will forever be a hobby. I appreciate that there are no project instructions to write. No video requirements. No deadlines. I can just knit and learn, then knit some more. It has been termed a selfish endeavor, as most of what I make is for myself, but I see it as self-care.

Knitting after work hours has been my time to disconnect and unplug. It is something I do when watching a program with my family—time together without judgment if I’m not glued to the screen. And, now that I’ve gotten past making a few hats for holiday gifts, I can get back to the Amber Pullover (from Quick & Easy Knits) knit-along I dropped around November. And, then back to the knit-along with my Mom that I dropped around September! Again, in my mind, self-care, as this helps remove some guilt around WIPs laying around and it frees me up to take on the next great colorful adventure using some stash yarn I treated myself to recently. (Shhh. Don’t tell!)

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Whatever knitting for self-care looks like for you, we hope you can find some peace of mind in your next project. If you’re looking for something tried-and-true for blissful knitting, check out our top 21 most-popular knitting patterns!

Originally published February 5, 2021. Updated January 21, 2022.

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What Will Be Your Next Self-Care Project?