Utter the words “knitting” when someone asks what you did on the weekend and you might get a raised eyebrow or two. But what was once seen as a pastime for pensioners is now being celebrated as a health-boosting mindfulness activity.
If 2020 made sourdough starters sexy, 2021 gave knitting ai-worthy makeover. Blame the months spent in lockdown, burned out millennials or British diver Tom Daley, who knitted poolside at the Tokyo Olympics, but knitting is enjoying a huge resurgence. For those looking to pass the time in lockdown, knitting provided an essential escape from the anxiety and monotony of a never-ending pandemic.
And besides the obvious benefit of a new crochet jumper, numerous studies suggest that knitting can reduce depression and anxiety, distract from chronic pain, slow cognitive decline and induce a calm meditative state.
