Needlework!

This is something I have just recently started doing.  My mom always crocheted and knitted a little and tried to teach me when I was younger, but I was too stubborn to try when she tried to teach me.  Then, my daughter learned to knit and crochet in 4H classes and then wanted me to learn as well.  (Her Dad already knows how.  My husband actually knitted me a scarf when we were dating.)  Anyway, I resisted for quite some time and when I did try crocheting, I found it stressful at first.  My daughter, wise person that she is, told me to give it a few weeks and then it would switch and become relaxing.  I trusted her and she was right.  Since beginning to crochet and only learning one stitch, the single crochet stitch, I have made 2 complete afghans and am about halfway through another one and yes, I do find it relaxing at this point.  Will I ever learn to double or treble crochet?  Who knows.  Maybe.  Maybe not.  I'm not going to stress about it.  :-)

This is an afghan my daughter did a few weeks ago.  

It turns out my daughter was right and there is research to back her up.  Knitting and crocheting and other kinds of crafting are good for your brain and good for your happiness and now, thanks to the internet, it's easy to learn a craft.

Happiness is a Needle and Thread Away.  "Textile handcraft making was associated with the greatest mood repair, increases in positive, decreases in negative mood"  

Crochet Benefits  "But crochet has been proven to reduce anxiety of all kinds, including panic attacks, social anxiety, and generalized anxiety, making it an especially effective tool to reach for ... "


This is Your Brain on Crafts "There's survey evidence to support crafting's dopamine effect. In one study of more than 3,500 knitters, published in The British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 81% of respondents with depression reported feeling happy after knitting. More than half reported feeling "very happy.""

The Truth About Knitting

Health Benefits  

How to Knit - A video tutorial.

How to Crochet - A video tutorial.

If needle work is not your thing and never will be, do some of the other crafts mentioned in some of the articles, painting, model cars, drawing, paint by numbers.  Find something that gets you in the flow state of mind and relaxes you and then make time to do it!