Knitting as Meditation
An important discovery for the New Year
I have heard countless people say that knitting is a kind of meditation. It piqued my interest, so I decided to explore why that may be the case. In this exploration, I had two main questions that I wanted to look at:
What is meditation?
What qualities does knitting have that relate to the definition of meditation?
Upon delving into this topic, I have discovered that the idea of knitting and crafting being a form of meditation is not new. Here is what I found.
What is meditation?
It’s important to begin this discussion with a definition of meditation.
The Salem Press Encyclopedia of Health defines meditation as
Techniques involving controlled breathing, visualization, and/or repetition that are used to achieve relaxation, lower heart rate, and reduce muscle tension, which may have health benefits1.
Meditation comes in many shapes and forms. Some of the most commonly noted ones across thousands of years have been walking meditation, mindfulness meditation, guided meditation, and spiritual meditation. In all of these, it seems as though concentration and focus are key aspects.
While meditation is traditionally religious in nature, many people now use meditation for its proved health benefits, which include stress-reduction and improvement in psychological conditions2.
Meditation and Knitting
Knitting as a form of meditation is not a new concept. Organisations such as MedKNITation, Craft Yarn Council, and Knit Om have been using the concept for a while. Furthermore, in 20016, Rachael Matthews wrote a book entitled The Mindfulness in Knitting: Meditations on Craft and Calm. Matthews delves into the theory behind knitting as a form of meditation, highlighting the similarities between the act of knitting and more traditional meditation practices. Another recent book on this topic is Dr Anne Kirketerp’s Craft Psychology: How crafting promotes health. While also discussing a lot of the theory and recent scientific discoveries around the benefit of meditation, Kirketerp’s book also provides practical ways for crafters to capitalise on them.
If we look at the definition of meditation from The Salem Press Encyclopedia of Health, we can see that knitting falls into the category of meditation.
The first part of the definition says:
Techniques involving controlled breathing, visualization, and/or repetition
Knitting is a repetitive art form. I would argue more so than many others. You have a set number of stitches on your needle and if you want to create more or less, you have to work around those stitches that are already there. However, if we take embroidery, for example, when creating each and every stitch, the crafter must decide on the exact placement of the needle, and there are infinite possibilities.
The second part of the definition says:
used to achieve relaxation, lower heart rate, and reduce muscle tension
I don’t think very many people are knitting for the purpose of feeling more stressed! It is usually something that we do as an enjoyable hobby. Therefore, it helps us to achieve relaxation (most of the time).
While knitting, it is important to focus on one thing: the knitting. This seems obvious, but it is simple enough to be the perfect meditation. If your focus pulls further than what you are working on, you are so acutely aware, possibly more so than if you are doing a guided meditation and your mind wanders. If your mind wanders while you are knitting, you might make a mistake or simply stop moving your hands altogether.
What this means for us as crafters
I don’t know about you, but I have often wanted to establish a meditation habit, always setting it as a New Year’s Resolution. I’m now thinking that I might already have one in knitting! Instead of trying to practice more traditional forms of meditation (ie sitting in a field, legs crossed, eyes closed), this year I am going to try actively making a small portion of my knitting time a meditation practice. I am going to try to sync up my breath with my knitting, knit in complete silence, and practice mindfulness while I knit.
Let me know if you would like to join me on this adventure and we can explore the benefits of using knitting as meditation together.
As always, thank you so much for joining me today.
Until next time,
Jane
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Loustaunau, Martha Oehmke, PhD. Meditation. (2023). In Salem Press Encyclopedia of Health.
Byron, E. (2019, May 21). In Mindful Knitting, It’s the Journey, Not the Scarf. WSJ; The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/help-for-stressed-out-workers-mindful-knitting-11558449116