14 Surprising Health Benefits of Knitting And Crochet

Yarn arts and crafts are more than just a pastime as they are healing, restorative and are very therapeutic. In fact, the healing benefits of knitting and crocheting are numerous.

These health benefits range from simply calming you down and easing your stress to potentially relieving depression and reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. So whether you’re stressed out and can’t sleep or are doing your part to improve your brain health, you’ll be doing yourself and your health a favor.

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1. Helps Lower Blood Pressure

Yarncrafting is a heart-healthy activity. When you get into the groove of a pattern and work at it for a few hours, you will feel relaxed. This relaxation lowers the stress hormone cortisol and therefore decreasing your blood pressure.

2. Keeps Fingers Nimble

Since you’re in constant motion while knitting or crocheting, these activities are actually really helpful for keeping up mobility for those with arthritis or other kinds of joint pain. People who work with their hands for a living often turn to crochet or knitting as a way to keep up the strength in their hands.

3. Helps Relieve Depression

Easing depression is by far the most reported and studied benefit of crochet and knitting. The repetition of the crafts has been shown to release serotonin which is a natural anti-depressant.

Serotonin is also a natural pain-reliever and studies show that it can help with chronic pain conditions. Many people are saying that crochet is a great adjunct to conventional therapy.

In addition, a 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 and more than half reported feeling ‘very happy’.

4. Helps Reduce Stress And Anxiety

Yarncrafts help with various forms of anxiety. It keeps your hands busy and mind focused. When you’re feeling stressed or anxious in your daily life, take some time for yourself, pick up a yarn and a hook and spend some time being creative.

By crocheting, you’re taking your mind off of whatever’s been nagging you. By focusing on the repetitive motions of individual stitches and counting rows, your mind is able to be more relaxed and free from anxious ideas and thoughts. 

The counting has even been shown to serve as a productive outlet for people with anxiety associated with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder as well as eating disorders. One study that showed nearly ¾ of women with anorexia found knitting to be calming and anxiety-reducing.

5. Boosts Self-esteem

There are some times when you feel worthless, depressed, in pain or unproductive which can be highly frustrating.

We all want to feel productive and useful, so working up a project to give as a gift or sell at a craft fair can help improve this negative feeling. Though we don’t craft just for the compliments, a little bit of external validation by someone buying your finished item or your gift recipient wearing that crochet hat you made all winter long can truly give us the self-esteem boosts we need.

Yarncrafting helps build self-esteem by building new skills, allowing you to feel more productive, providing a useful way to give to others, and creating beauty through self-expression.Therefore, simply visualizing, working on and then creating a product can make you feel better about yourself.

6. Helps Reduce Risks of Having Dementia And Alzheimer’s Disease

Yarncrafting can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s by 30-50%. By engaging in cognitive exercises and stimulating your mind, you can slow down or even prevent memory loss.[mfn] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7896441.stm [/mfn]

Additionally, another study showed that knitting is neuroprotective and may reduce dementia by as much as 50%.[mfn] http://www.webmd.com/brain/news/20090429/brain-exercises-may-delay-memory-loss [/mfn]

Whether you plan on getting a little crafty, learning a new stitch or simply by reading and working up a pattern, you’ll be helping yourself preserve your optimal brain health.

7. Helps With Insomnia

Insomnia is a terrible feeling. You are tired but you can’t sleep which makes you feel frustrated and thus makes it harder to sleep. So by focusing on something that’s easy, repetitive and soothing, like crochet projects, you can calm down your mind and body enough to let you fall asleep.

Consequently, a study found that 100% of insomnia patients reported improved sleep with 90% being able to eliminate medication in a program that included yarncrafting.[mfn] http://www.stitchlinks.com/pdfsNewSite/research/Our%20theories%20so%20far%20New_%20unshuffled%20watermarked_4.pdf [/mfn]

So the next time you’re tossing and turning in the middle of the night, don’t get frustrated, pick up a yarn and hook and try these easy patterns!

Crochet Flower Pot Pattern: The Beauty of Handicrafts
Crochet Coasters Using Granny Square Stitch
Crochet Scarf Using Basic Pattern

8. Reduces Mindless Eating

It’s not rocket science – if your hands are busy knitting, you won’t be able to reach for a bag of chips or a soda. By distracting yourself, you really have to focus on what you’re eating and when. If you struggle with eating in front of the TV, try crocheting instead!

9. Improves Math Skills

Crocheting is a much more enjoyable way for you to practice mathematics. With all the counting, rows, repeats, and patterns, both knitting and crocheting actually require a great deal of math to finish any given project. While most of this stuff is done subconsciously, the effect is the same stronger math skills.

10. Improves Memory Skills

Just like with math skills, memory grows stronger the more you use it. When you have to remember repeats in a pattern, like which stitch comes next, or what color row you are on, then you are also able to use and sharpen your memory skills.

11. Acts As A Form Of Group Therapy

Through yarncrafting, those in a group can immediately have some way of relating to the other group members, and function as an ice breaker for more serious conversations. By placing the focus off of the patient and only the crochet project itself, it provides all of the previously mentioned health benefits of crocheting plus a sense of community and togetherness.

No matter what health issue you are dealing with, it helps to have a community of support around you.

12. Helps With Grief Processing

Loss is a horrible thing and none of us escape it. During periods of deep grief it can seem impossible that you will ever be able to function again. You feel like the world has come to an end.

Crochet and knitting can be one of the most comforting things during this time. It’s something that you can do without a lot of money or effort. For a moment, it can take your mind off your pain. The beautiful textures and colors of the yarn, the warmth of the item that you are creating and the dynamic up and down motion of stitching can get you one day closer to feeling okay again.

13. Puts You In Control

Whether you feel helpless as a caregiver watching someone struggle or you’re the one struggling with your own illness or problems, crocheting is a way to put the control back into your own hands. By knitting or crocheting, you are in full control of everything, from the type of project you will be making, the color and type of yarn and even the type of crochet hooks to work with, that makes a difference in feeling like you are in control of things again.

14. Soothes The Body

Crochet is a tactile craft. Since you are working with fibers, it can have such a great impact on your skin. The soft touch of a perfect baby alpaca yarn can soothe your soul on the darkest of days. When feeling numb because of pain or illness, a rougher yarn fiber such as jute can help get yourself grounded back into your body.

In addition to the feeling of the fiber itself, pay close attention to the benefits of the crafting motion. The rhythmic creation of stitches is soothing for both mind and body. “Yarn over, pull through, yarn over, pull through” – it offers a meditative sensation that helps lull you out of anxiety and into ease.

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Author’s Notes

Start a new knitting or crochet project now! I love crocheting and I use it in my own life as a way for me to calm down and relieve stress.

I’m happier and calmer in many situations when I’m doing it, whether at home, at office, or on a plane while travelling. It is indeed a mental exercise which is really good for the brain to work on something where you have to concentrate and focus.

When I first started, all I knew was how to crochet coasters. At first, it was hideous and misshapen, but I finally understood how it was done. And then, I did the impossible, I made a cardigan, table runners, blankets and scarves. And now, I’m working on my Barbie dolls’ dresses. There is really a sense of pride that comes from someone complimenting a scarf or blanket and being able to say, “Thanks, I made that.”

You don’t have to have a reason to crochet other than the fact that you enjoy it. Nevertheless, it feels so good to know that there are many excellent benefits to the craft!

Happy to share some samples of my crochet products:

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My First Ever Crochet Project

What’s the #1 way that knitting or crocheting heals you?
We are happy to know! Kindly share your experience below and let us hear your happy thoughts.

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