Why I Knit

Latest Episodes:

Knitting for connection and community with Kristina LaVenia Oct 24, 2024

Show notes

Have you ever stressed yourself our by overcommitting to gift knitting? Do you end up being exhausted by the festive season? Then we have a bonus episode for you! Subscribe to the Creative Restoration newletter here to receive our bonus episode as soon as it is released on 14th November to help you keep your self-care on track during Christmas, and continue to use knitting to benefit your mental wellbeing.

This is the final episode in series 7 - thank you so much for listening!

Joining me this week is Kristina LaVenia who is a senior lecturer in leadership at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. She has collaborated with Project Knitwell on research delivering knitting workshops for staff in educational settings.

Kristina speaks about her own journey using knitting throughout the pandemic, and her experience of offering this as an intervention to others.

You can follow Kristina on Instagram here: @klavenia

-------------

🧶 Come and join our new community on Patreon! Perks include early access to podcasts, weekly behind the scenes videos and a monthly online knitting circle. This will enable us to connect more meaningfully with you all, grow the podcast and share more resources about knitting, creativity and wellbeing.

🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.

🧶Catch up on our on-demand webinars:

The Healing Power of Knitting where we take a deep dive into the mental health benefits of knitting

Unravelling Burnout where we look at how we can use knitting as a tool to prevent burnout

Knitting for Attention and Focus. We explore how knitting and crochet can support concentration, attention and mindful awareness, particularly for people who struggle with restlessness, distractibility or overwhelm.

Here's how to stay in touch:

💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter

📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

Mentioned in this episode:

Join our first Knitting Circle on 21st October at 7pm

We'd love you to join us at our first online Knitting Circle event - find out more at Patreon.com/Creative_Restoration

Knitting a legacy with Carole Wyatt Oct 17, 2024

Show notes

Carole Wyatt is a cancer doctor who has been diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. She speaks about using knitting to cope with the difficult days, and also to create a handknitted legacy to pass down to her future grandchildren.

-------------

🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.

🧶Catch up on our on-demand webinars:

The Healing Power of Knitting where we take a deep dive into the mental health benefits of knitting

Unravelling Burnout where we look at how we can use knitting as a tool to prevent burnout

Here's how to stay in touch:

💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter

📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

Mentioned in this episode:

Join our first Knitting Circle on 21st October at 7pm

We'd love you to join us at our first online Knitting Circle event - find out more at Patreon.com/Creative_Restoration

We don't go to therapy just to be soothed with Tamanna Rahman Oct 10, 2024

Show notes

Tamanna is a nurse practioner and multi-crafter who works in the field of mental health. Tamanna joins me to speak about her own journey to knitting, sewing and embroidery, how this connects her to family traditions and her values of sustainability and ethical production of clothing.

She also speaks about she uses fibre arts to benefit the mental health of herself and others.

Tamanna Rahman

Instagram: @slow.work.sewing

Website: slow.work.sewing

-------------

🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.

🧶Catch up on our on-demand webinars:

The Healing Power of Knitting where we take a deep dive into the mental health benefits of knitting

Unravelling Burnout where we look at how we can use knitting as a tool to prevent burnout

Here's how to stay in touch:

💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter

📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

Mentioned in this episode:

Join our first Knitting Circle on 21st October at 7pm

We'd love you to join us at our first online Knitting Circle event - find out more at Patreon.com/Creative_Restoration

Knitting to love the body I have with Whitney Swinimer Oct 03, 2024

Show notes

Whitney is a plus size knitter and YouTuber who is passionate about taking back the power to create clothes she loves in colours she enjoys. She speaks about how knitting has helped her to love the body she has, rather than feel that she to change her body to fit the clothes she can buy.

Whitney Swinimer

Whitney's website: knittedbywhitney

YouTube: Knitted by Whitney

Whitney's article on how knitting helped her to fall in love with her body

Instagram: @knittedbywhitney

-------------

🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.

🧶Catch up on our on-demand webinars:

The Healing Power of Knitting where we take a deep dive into the mental health benefits of knitting

Unravelling Burnout where we look at how we can use knitting as a tool to prevent burnout

Here's how to stay in touch:

💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter

📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

Mentioned in this episode:

Join our first Knitting Circle on 21st October at 7pm

We'd love you to join us at our first online Knitting Circle event - find out more at Patreon.com/Creative_Restoration

Crafting social change with Elena Lo Presti of Craft Forward Sep 26, 2024

Show notes

Elena Lo Presti is the founder and director of Craft Forward, which is a not-for-profit organisation that provides accessible, creative, experiences suitable for everyone, regardless of their skills and background. Their aim is to disrupt the current elitism within the arts and crafts world and open creativity to all through workshops with a clear social impact.

Elena joins me to speak about her own personal story learning to knit as a way of connecting with her grandmother during the pandemic, and tells the story of how she turned this new passion into Craft Forward.

Craft Forward

Website: https://craftforward.com/

To donate to the Blankets for London campaign (before 10th November 2024): Blankets for London

Instagram: @craft_forward

-------------

🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.

🧶Catch up on our on-demand webinars:

The Healing Power of Knitting where we take a deep dive into the mental health benefits of knitting

Unravelling Burnout where we look at how we can use knitting as a tool to prevent burnout

Here's how to stay in touch:

💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter

📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

Mentioned in this episode:

Join our first Knitting Circle on 21st October at 7pm

We'd love you to join us at our first online Knitting Circle event - find out more at Patreon.com/Creative_Restoration

Discovering a grounded joy with Christina Socorro Yovovich Sep 19, 2024

Show notes

Christina Socorro Yovovich is a writer, knitter and multi-crafter. Christina speaks about how since being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, she had struggled to access joy without worrying about whether this was a sign that she was becoming unwell. She explains how returning to knitting has allowed her to access a safe and more grounded form of joy in her daily life.

Christina Socorro Yovovich

website: Christina Socorro Yovovich

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DesertAgaveFiberArts .

Instagram: @cyovovich

-------------

🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.

🧶Catch up on our on-demand webinars:

The Healing Power of Knitting where we take a deep dive into the mental health benefits of knitting

Unravelling Burnout where we look at how we can use knitting as a tool to prevent burnout

Here's how to stay in touch:

💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter

📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

Mentioned in this episode:

Join our first Knitting Circle on 21st October at 7pm

We'd love you to join us at our first online Knitting Circle event - find out more at Patreon.com/Creative_Restoration

Everyone deserves an affirming wardrobe with Victoria Marchant Sep 12, 2024

Show notes

Victoria Marchant is an inclusive knitwear designer who puts size inclusivity at the heart of all her designs. Her latest design, the Padstow Cardigan will be released on October 18th.

Victoria Marchant

Website: www.victoriamarchantknits.com

Instagram: @victoriamarchantknits

-------------

🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.

🧶Catch up on our on-demand webinars:

The Healing Power of Knitting where we take a deep dive into the mental health benefits of knitting

Unravelling Burnout where we look at how we can use knitting as a tool to prevent burnout

Here's how to stay in touch:

💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter

📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

Mentioned in this episode:

Join our first Knitting Circle on 21st October at 7pm

We'd love you to join us at our first online Knitting Circle event - find out more at Patreon.com/Creative_Restoration

Mistakes are vital with Bafta nominated filmmaker Samantha Moore Sep 05, 2024

Show notes

Samantha Moore is a filmmaker and animator who directed the BAFTA nominated animated film 'Visible Mending' which is about the ways we repair ourselves through knitting.

If you haven't seen Sam's brilliant film, you can watch the film at Sam's Vimeo channel here: Visible Mending

Follow Sam on Instagram: @sammooreanimate

-------------

🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.

🧶Catch up on our on-demand webinars:

The Healing Power of Knitting where we take a deep dive into the mental health benefits of knitting

Unravelling Burnout where we look at how we can use knitting as a tool to prevent burnout

Here's how to stay in touch:

💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter

📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

Mentioned in this episode:

Join our first Knitting Circle on 21st October at 7pm

We'd love you to join us at our first online Knitting Circle event - find out more at Patreon.com/Creative_Restoration

Bonus episode -Understanding the therapeutic hand movements of knitting with Dr Claire Plumbly Jul 11, 2024

Show notes

In this bonus episode Dr Claire Plumbly, Clinical Psychologist and EMDR specialist joins me to discuss what the theory behind EMDR can tell us about why we find the hand movements of knitting so therapeutic.

Claire Plumbly

Buy her book: https://www.drclaireplumbly.com/burnout-book

www.drclaireplumbly.com

Instagram: @drclaireplumbly

-------------

🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.

🧶Catch up on our on-demand webinars:

The Healing Power of Knitting where we take a deep dive into the mental health benefits of knitting

Unravelling Burnout where we look at how we can use knitting as a tool to prevent burnout

Here's how to stay in touch:

💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter

📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

Mentioned in this episode:

Join our first Knitting Circle on 21st October at 7pm

We'd love you to join us at our first online Knitting Circle event - find out more at Patreon.com/Creative_Restoration

The Q&A Episode Feb 22, 2024

Show notes

Thanks so much for your questions for the Q&A episode, it has been so interesting to be asked such great questions.

-------------

🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.

🧶Catch up on our on-demand webinars:

The Healing Power of Knitting where we take a deep dive into the mental health benefits of knitting

Unravelling Burnout where we look at how we can use knitting as a tool to prevent burnout

Here's how to stay in touch:

💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter

📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

Mentioned in this episode:

Join our first Knitting Circle on 21st October at 7pm

We'd love you to join us at our first online Knitting Circle event - find out more at Patreon.com/Creative_Restoration

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected