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doctor's prescription pad, but if we take a closer look, knitting has some great benefits to your
health and well-being. Knitting is a craft that is not only creative and mentally challenging, but
is relaxing, productive, and a stress-reducer.

We've all heard about the importance of exercise to keep our physical bodies limber and
healthy. "The brain is like a muscle," says Arnold Scheibel, M.D., head of U.C.L.A's Brain
Research Institute. "The more ways you use it, the more reserves you'll build and the harder it
will be for diseases to break it down." The key to building your brain, says Marion Diamond,
Ph.D., professor of Integrative Biology at the University of California at Berkeley, is to pick up

something that is unfamiliar to you and unlike your normal routine ... take up sculpture,
painting, crossword puzzles, or work on a complex knitting pattern. (Family Circle Magazine)

Now take my Aunt Hilda, who not only exercised her mental powers but decided to use knitting
as an aid in curing a physical ailment. Having recently broken an elbow, impatient with weeks
of slow recovery and plenty of discomfort, she went down to her local shop, bought some yarn
and began to knit a sweater, finishing it within the week. To her delight, she showed off the
new sweater with a pain-free elbow. She fully credits the exercise of the knitting in helping her
elbow heal and increase its mobility.

Not only is physical well-being at stake, but we are now aware of the importance of keeping
mental stress at a low level in our lives. A survey of Vogue Knitting subscribers concluded that
59% of knitters knit for relaxation. The second most popular reason is the satisfaction that is
attained from being creative. Joseph Primavera III, Ph.D., a psychologist who specializes in
health psychology, states, "Knitting contains a nice mix of cognitive and behavioral techniques
to help deal with stress." While knitting, "you are relaxed, sitting comfortably, breathing easily,
and you're doing something you can enjoy. A sense of accomplishment comes at the end
when showing off a new sweater." (Prevention Magazine) This reminds me of a friend, who
spends his days in front of a computer screen designing software programs. When he gets
home, he likes nothing better than to relax by working on a complex Fair Isle pattern. Knitting is
found to be a calming activity that helps to release built-up stresses from his daily routine.

So take your medicine regularly - knit to your heart's content, knowing that it is beneficial to your
health. Let this wonderful craft be a continuum in your life, knitting through all the stages from
baby clothes to grandchildren's cardigans. Continue to enjoy its surge of creativity and take a
meditative break from the stresses around us to reflect on something we knitters already knew
- our beloved craft is good for us!

© Maddy Cranley 2006

About The Author

Maddy Cranley is a professional knitwear designer, who has created exclusive designs for
knitting and craft magazines, authored and published three books on the subject of knitting
and felting, and produces an ever-expanding line of maddy laine and maddy baby handknitting
patterns. For additional information, see www.maddycraft.com.