Knitting
Love To Knit
Taking advantage of the additional time and the engagement of people with new crafts and on-line activities, we wanted to raise the awareness of wool in Hand Knitting and provide instructions on how to take part. Many of the Campaign followers are skilled knitters, but we would like to reach out to a wider audience to introduce and engage new people to the age-old craft.
“I’m new to knitting! The weekend before lockdown my mother-in-law visited with her new hobby, she’d recently taken up knitting to teach her granddaughter and then learned about the Devon County Show project of knitting pennants – triangles for bunting – to break a Guinness World Record for which they need 3,200 in all! I soon joined in, learning to knit for almost the first time (I had had a go with an elderly relative when I was really small) and soon became as obsessed as her! It blows my mind to think how this ancient technique was developed – how the idea came to spin sheep’s wool into yarn and then using 2 sticks (knitting needles) to turn it into a 2D or 3D work of art! The meditative quality of creating something through repetition is incredible calming – and you have something fun to show at the end of it.” Jasmine Hemsley
The Campaign aims to help the nation to ‘knit together’ with a time honoured pastime to get through the current isolation period. The Campaign has collaborated with three-time best-selling author and wellness expert, Jasmine Hemsley, on a ‘how to start knitting’ guide to encourage families or individuals to take up knitting as a way to pass time, be creative and make something, as a benefit to their mental health in this stressful time.
The instructions are simple to follow so that the whole family can take part and outlines how to create a scarf with creative tips. Jasmine worked with the Campaign for Wool and has also captured her knitting experience in a video, shared on her Instagram channel where she also teaches her husband, photographer Nick Hopper, how to begin to knit a scarf whilst they self-isolate.
Knitting is not just a good way to pass time, it has also been shown to relieve stress and improve mood – akin to yoga or going for a jog. A study conducted by Harvard Medical School’s Mind and Body Institute, found that knitting lowers the heart rate, by an average of 11 beats per minute, and induces an ‘enhanced state of calm’. The repetitive movements required to create a pattern release calming serotonin, which can lift moods and dull pain, according to the findings. It has also been found that the hobby can also help fight loneliness and increase a sense of usefulness and inclusion.
With the increase in elderly people connecting with family members via video chats, knitting provides a fun activity which can be enjoyed virtually, combing modern technology with a much-loved craft.
Peter Ackroyd, COO for the Campaign for Wool said: “Knitting is a perfect pastime to be enjoyed during these stay-at-home days, either alone or with a group of like-minded enthusiasts who are turning to hands-on and virtual hobbies. Knitting is not only therapeutic, but choosing wool to do it with makes this activity also environmentally friendly.”
Using wool to knit will provide consumers with a household item which is long lasting and durable, ecologically friendly and has been created sustainability. Wool is also proven to be safe for skin, easy to care for, is flame retardant and reduces VOCs, so ideal for the whole family during time together at home.
#lovetoknit
Where to get started
Yarn and needle stockists and free patterns are readily available on-line.
You can download many from the
Knitting tutorials
Whether you are a total beginner to knitting or much more experienced, you will find some great educational tutorials here from the UKHKA and Wool and the Gang: