Why I Knit – Details, episodes & analysis

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

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🧶 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.

Here's how to stay in touch:

💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter

📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond



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

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🧶 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.

Here's how to stay in touch:

💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter

📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

Jessica Hendrickson is the Creative Design Director at Lion Brand Yarn. As a teenager she had such a strong desire to make and wear her own clothes, that she told her parents she had to attend a school without a uniform.

She continues to use knitting and crochet to express her identity, but over time she has also used them to help find her way through post-natal depression and to help her focus. Jessica speaks about how she manages her desire to knit all the things as quickly as possible, but also how her constant drive for new experiences is a superpower in her role as Design Director which requires her to come up with new designs and use new yarns on a daily basis.

Jessica and Lion Brand Yarn

Webiste: Lion Brand Yarn 

Tom Daley's “Made With Love Collection," which will be

available for purchase in September 2023 at Michaels and on LionBrand.com.

Instagram: @lionbrandyarn

 @jesssicaleee

@madewithlovebytomdaley

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🧶 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.

Here's how to stay in touch:

💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter

📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond



Dr Kaman Hansford is a GP who joined us on one of our retreats for healthcare professionals. She has lived experience of using mental health services and knitting is now a crucial part of her wellbeing plan.

Kaman speaks about feeling that she can use knitting as an early warning sign if her mental health is deteriorating, and also that it is one of the tools she uses daily to access some calm.

I also really valued Kaman's perspective on using knitting as a way of becoming more self-compassionate.

Kaman is not on social media, so if you have any comments on this episode I am very happy to pass them on!

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🧶 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.

Here's how to stay in touch:

💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter

📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

Kesha Evans learned to knit 11 years ago when her son was born prematurely and was in the NICU. She was approached by Carol Caparosa from Project Knitwell who offered to teach her to knit. Despite not considering herself creative at all, Kesha agreed to learn and ended up feeling that the visits from Carol were as important to her as those of the doctors and nurses.

Today Kesha is on the board at Project Knitwell and I interviewed her as part of their Knitathon in March 2023. Project Knitwell's team of volunteers go into hospitals, schools and community settings to offer knitting as a wellness tool to people at challenging times of their lives.

This interview was one of several online sessions recorded during the Knitathon - you can access these recordings by donating online - find out more at Project Knitwell Knitathon

Project Knitwell

Website: projectknitwell.org

Instagram: @projectknitwell

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🧶 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.

Here's how to stay in touch:

💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter

📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

Jude generously joined me to speak about how he found knitting and the knitting community during a difficult time, and how knitting was a crucial part of putting himself back together.

He also speaks about the death of his parents last year, and how he continues to feel connected to them both through the memories held in knitted items, and also in the other new hobbies and skills that Jude has discovered more recently.

Jude also dyes beautiful yarn and by coincidence I realised I was wearing a pair of socks knit in Stranded yarn during our interview, bought 5 years previously at Unravel festival!

Jude

Stranded Dyeworks online

Instagram: @strandeddyeworks

Stranded Podcast on YouTube: Stranded Podcast

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🧶 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.

Here's how to stay in touch:

💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter

📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

Dr Shona Mason is a dentist and teacher who encourages her students to develop interests outside of dentistry to prevent burnout and encourage them to have a positive work-life balance. As part of this mission she runs a knitting group for students, one of whom got in touch with me and suggested that she'd make a great interviewee for the podcast!

Shona

Instagram: @shonamasonmakes

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🧶 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.

Here's how to stay in touch:

💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter

📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

I am so sorry that it has taken much longer than planned for Series 5! However I am pleased to announce that episode one will be available this Thursday 15th June.

In the meantime you can listen to all the previous episodes here or on your favourite podcast app.

It was a joy to spend time with Marceline to hear her reflections on her relationship with knitting, how this has changed over time, and how she aims to be more intentional in her making.

Marceline speaks about tuning in to what she needs from her crafts at a given time in her life, and how connecting to 'the old way' of doing things has helped her to navigate the times when something needs to be unravelled.

Marceline

hey BrownBerry YouTube channel: heyBrownBerry

Instagram: @heybrownberry

Etsy: heybrownberry

Ravelry: heybrownberry

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🧶 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.

Here's how to stay in touch:

💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter

📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond

Andrea is a physical therapist and passionate knitter who is perfectly placed to provide professional advice on what to do when we suffer pain when knitting, and how to prevent it in future.

Andrea speaks about how she returned to knitting as a new mum, and how it helped her to find a few minutes each day to do something for herself. She also shares her reflections as a physiotherapist on her important role in helping crafters to find ways of accessing their crafts in a sustainable way.

Andrea

Website: Andrea Lui

Instagram: @theknittingpt

Patreon: The Knitting PT

Youtube: The Knitting PT

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🧶 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.

Here's how to stay in touch:

💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter

📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond