Creativity only needs an outlet – no matter the medium. You can be creative with pen and paper or with yarn; speaking of which, yarn is more transformative than you might imagine. You can unleash your creativity with yarn and knit toys, caps, home décor, and clothes.
Simply put – whatever you can possibly dream of, you can use yarn, such as Chunky yarn, and bring your dreams to life in 2D or 3D. Apart from allowing your creativity to flow and grow, there are other benefits of knitting and crocheting as well.
Regarding the mental health benefits, knitting promotes mental relaxation. Studies have shown that knitting and crocheting allow you to relax. Essentially, knitting and crocheting with yarn is meditative. In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to state that you can knit away your stress.
Here are some essential benefits of knitting.
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Engage Your Senses
How can you not fall in love with yarn lying in a basket? Yarn is colorful and soft, and you can squish it to your heart’s content. Depending on the type of yarn, it can be fuzzy or smooth. If you want to knit a unicorn, you can find sparkly yarn as well.
If you see colorful yarn in a basket, you cannot help but click a picture and share it with your friends. Looking at the colorful yarn can also help you mentally in terms of color therapy; not to mention the relaxation sensation that you get when you start working with it.
So, knitting can engage various senses, and you will feel as if you are petting a cute puppy every time you touch the yarn.
Release Serotonin
You might be surprised to know that knitting is a form of therapy that can help with relaxing your mind, reducing cortisol levels, and releasing happy chemicals. Typically, your body reacts to stress in various ways. Some people fidget when they are stressed, and others repeat various repetitive motions that showcase that they are mentally stressed.
Knitting and crocheting enable you to replace your repetitive motions with a positive hobby that includes loads of squishy yarn. Knitting requires precise handwork, which engages the mind and allows you to temporarily distract the mind from stressful thoughts.
This way, knitting induces a sense of calm. Also, mindful activities, such as crocheting and knitting, allow you to stay in the present moment instead of stressing about the past and worrying about the future.
The repetitive rhythm of knitting works as an antidepressant, which causes the brain to release serotonin, ultimately making you feel happy.
Diminish the Chances of Memory Loss
A study has shown that when people engage in knitting and crocheting in middle age, they are less likely to suffer from memory loss when they are in their golden years. Knitting, like any other activity, challenges the brain because, with every stitch, the brain assesses the pattern and considers what stitch is to follow next.
This way, a lot of gears switch and turn in the mind on a conscious level, which keeps the brain sharp.