Knit Therapy
Although I cheekily introduce myself as someone whose hobby and special skill is sewing, lately I have been knitting more than sewing. I have been particularly hooked on crochet since last year.
How I started crocheting, albeit a bit late
It started about six months ago when I was talking to my mother at her care facility and she said, "I wish I had done knitting like Grandma did." My mother was a professional-level dressmaker, but she never did any knitting.
Although my mother has Alzheimer's, she was able to understand the gist of the conversation at that time, so we talked about
"knitting" together.
I wonder... did she mean crochet?
While making gestures as if she were holding a crochet hook and knitting, my mother said,
"You only need one needle to do it here, too."
I enjoyed the conversation, saying things like, "I see, so you mean you can do it anywhere. With a crochet hook, right!"
I felt like she was remembering my grandmother, who was good at knitting.
It is true that, unlike dressmaking, knitting seems like something you can do anywhere. You can undo it if you make a mistake, and if you choose the right yarn, you can do it regardless of the season.
And the biggest point I am focusing on regarding knitting is the benefits brought about by knit therapy.
What is knit therapy?
Research has revealed that knitting has various benefits, such as increasing the secretion of serotonin, which works to regulate the autonomic nervous system and calm the mind, and that repetitive movements can lead the mind to a relaxed state, with effects similar to meditation.
Counting stitches also seems like good brain training.
But it is an enemy of stiff shoulders.
However, there are things I should be careful about. Perhaps not doing it until my shoulders get stiff?
I do detailed work on a PC for my job, so I have chronic stiff shoulders, which is dangerous.
I must not let shoulder stiffness build up...
I enjoy it a little bit at a time in my spare moments, while rotating my shoulders, moving my shoulder blades, and stretching my sides.
I felt that, for me, crochet suits my body better than knitting with needles.
I am surprised, albeit belatedly, that materials and learning resources have become so easily accessible!
I am still a beginner, so I am using 100-yen shop yarn for practice.
When I looked again, I found that recent 100-yen shops have a rich lineup of knitting supplies. I didn't know that!
They even had yarn bowls to hold the yarn.
That said, remembering my grandmother, I made sure to prepare needles from a brand-name manufacturer.
It is certainly very fun to knit a little bit at a time. Since I can knit a little and quickly put it in my bag, it doesn't get messy.
And above all, thanks to being able to easily learn on YouTube, I have become able to knit surprisingly smoothly.
My mother's mother, my grandmother, began living with my parents at my current family home after she turned 90. Although she was cared for in a facility in her final years, her mind was clear until the very end. She was very good at knitting and continued to knit all year round until just a few years before she passed away at 103.
Her technique was wonderful; she could estimate the size of the dog I brought over and quickly knit a dog outfit for it.
My grandmother left the countryside where she had lived for a long time after becoming very elderly and came to a place she was not used to. My mother was not in good mental health at that time, and I think it must have been hard for my grandmother. Perhaps she was processing various feelings by immersing herself in knitting.