KNITTING IS A LIFE-CHANGING, BLISS-INDUCING, MIRACLE CRAFT.
People have been knitting for thousands of years, yet it is only recently that we have begun to understand why it is not only useful and pleasurable but incredibly good for us.
Knitting produces amazing physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social benefits and we believe that absolutely everyone can benefit from it.
In the following article, our founder and director shares her feelings about the value of knitting.
"SOULCRAFT: Knitting the Fabric of a Healthy Spirit:
An Introduction to the Healing Art of Knitting"
By
Karen Zila Hayes
Throughout
my life I have been blessed with a strong connection to my creative
energies and abilities. I have been a singer, writer, actor, dancer
and designer, and have slipped into these roles as effortlessly as into a second
skin, all because of one core belief: human beings are intrinsically
creative beings, and it is in the act of creating that we thrive.
This is why my work as a knitting teacher has become not just a passion, but also a mission. Not everyone feels musical, not everyone feels comfortable with a paintbrush, but anyone who has mastered the art of tying their shoelaces has already grasped the basics of knitting. And what do we gain from this simple craft? An array of therapeutic, spiritual, emotional, and physical rewards that is truly incredible.
Aside from the obvious joy of of magically creating a garment out of a simple ball of yarn, there is the wonderful benefit of colour and touch therapy which comes from working with a beautiful natural fibre of our own choosing. But most people are amazed to discover that knitting actually changes brainwave patterns, inducing in many, a higher Alpha-wave output than either yoga or meditation! When a creative outlet induces a calming meditative state, that can only be a gateway to spiritual awakening. And it doesn't stop there. Knitting has also been proven to enhance concentration. So much so, that pilot projects have begun in several countries, in which children are encouraged to knit during their high school classes. Rather than distracting them, knitting actually helps them retain information. This is because it is one of the few activities that simultaneously stimulates both sides of the brain.
Best of all, knitting is a wonderful physical representation of all that we are capable of being when our imagination is set free. It is by far the most calming, bliss-inducing, soul-enriching, spirit-nurturing creative act I have ever engaged in. Not to mention that it’s so much fun! Nothing in my life has given me more joy than watching a child proudly sporting his or her first knitted creation, watching students' faces the first time they fall under the spell of knitting's rhythmic meditation and witnessing the blissful healing that occurs as they finally reclaim their birthright as creative beings.
At KNIT MAGIC
WHEN WE KNIT, WE USE OUR IMAGINATIONS TO SET GOALS WHICH ARE ACHIEVED PEACEFULLY AND EFFORTLESSLY, AND THIS MODEL IS A WONDERFUL METAPHOR FOR LIFE!