How are you?

Thursday 5th November 2020

Tags: Crochet, Knit

The world feels so strange at the moment, so we wanted to take some time out from our normal blogging activity to ask how you are doing?

Now that those of us in England are once again in lockdown, it’s ok to feel a bit down, anxious and disorientated. All this uncertainty is bound to get to us all, so you are not alone.

The one thing that our team held tight to during the last lockdown was yarn. No, they didn’t disappear into the boxes in the warehouse, but it was the promise of what yarn can become that helped. Because, as soon as you pick up your needle or hook you are doing an amazing thing for your mental health.

The repetitive motion of moving stitches around is a kind of meditation, which was described by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi as the ‘flow’ state or a ‘few moments in time when you are so completely absorbed by an activity that nothing else seems to matter’. This is something that we all know instinctively as crafters and our form of meditation is good for mental health.

Taking time out to knit or crochet is also a way to be kind to yourself and do something you really enjoy.  If there is a project you have been itching to try, now might be the perfect time.  If you need some inspiration we have lots of projects in our Make Along group or if you fancy something larger, why not try Jane Crowfoot’s Fruit Garden CAL or Tinna’s Queen CAL – projects to really get your teeth in to.

Being with fellow crafters is something we really missed during the last lockdown but so many craft groups have taken to platforms like Zoom to make sure they can still get together with like minded people.  If you don’t already belong to a group, maybe your local yarn shop can point you in the right direction.

If you know someone that has to isolate alone, why not give them a call for a chat or just to ask if they are OK.  If they are nearby you could always drop off a little care package on their doorstep.  It’s at times like these they will need to know someone is there for them.

Don’t forget that your local yarn shop is still allowed to do click and collect, local deliveries and mail order, so why not give yours a ring.  You can find a map of shops on the UK Hand Knitting website here.

Most of all, please stay safe and well.