YOUR BRAIN ON KNITTING
“In the rhythm of the needles, there is music for the soul.” -Anonymous
Fall is upon us. Days shorten. Temperatures drop. For me, my thoughts turn to Fall knitting – the feel of soft yarn running through my fingers -the visions of FOs (finished objects for the uninitiated) dancing in my head. And so I am writing about two of my favorite things, knitting and Moving Well -where I help folks move with greater comfort and ease and use movement as a tool to promote non-motor learning.
DID YOU KNOW?
A Google search on knitting and brain function yielded over 400,000 hits- wow! It has been featured in the New York Times and the Huffington post. Betsan Corkhill has written an entire book called Knit for Health and Wellness. There are so many benefits of knitting for young and old alike. For all, knitting is an antidote to the stress and anxiety that has become so common in modern life. Knitting has been associated with decreased cognitive decline in the elderly and of special interest to me- improved learning in children. It helps children not only with the obvious fine motor coordination, but other more global brain functions like the development of both laterality and the ability to cross midline, motor planning and focus, all are critical to such tasks as learning to read. Knitting is also useful in teaching math concepts. In Waldorf schools knitting is an integral part of the curriculum.
Last Spring I taught a group of mostly young boys who are in an Arrowsmith program for children with significant learning challenges how to knit. What a joy to watch young people sitting and knitting with focused attention. To keep things simple we just knit “squares” and I put them together myself to make a wall hanging for their classroom. I call it a heART project.
I am now planning an after school program combining both knitting and other specialized movement. Details soon.
No knitter wants to have to stop knitting because of pain. I have helped many knitters and crocheters get rid of their symptoms and learn to craft with more comfort and ease. Periodically I teach a class at Churchmouse Yarns and Teas about this. I believe this will be offered again in the winter. I also do private sessions completely focused on your unique situation. If you are interested please contact me moving@drizzle.com.
If you just want to hang out and knit together I encourage you to join the “Open Table” Thursday evening from 6-8pm at Churchmouse. I’m there most Thursdays.
HAPPY FALL AND HAPPY KNITTING!