KNITTERS ARE QUITE USED TO the gentle ribbing (pun intended) that we sometimes take from ordinary people. We smile and endure the persistent belief that we’re engaged in some silly little pastime that is no equal to the non-knitter’s clever and majestic hobbies such as fishing, bird watching, or collecting comic books. We knit while non-knitters chastise us for engaging in a grandmotherly or feminine activity. We knit while they point out that our hobby is largely unproductive (unlike collecting comic books) because they think anyone can buy the stuff we’re making at any of a thousand stores. We knit with our mouths shut while they say they “wish they had that sort of free time,” and we (mostly) say nothing while watching non-knitters settle into an evening of idle TV-watching. Knitters are, by and large, peaceful creatures, we simply knit and let others hold their opinions. We’ve given up on correcting them. (In my experience, most knitters have figured out that at least when it comes to knitting, revolt is at best time-consuming and useless, and at worst can tangle your yarn.)
There is a lot to be said for knowing in your heart that people are wrong. When it comes to being teased for knitting, it turns out that we shall likely have our revenge. Several studies in the last few years have indicated that there are certain things you can do for yourself to help prevent or at least stave off Alzheimer’s disease and dementia as you age. Researchers point to activities that require sorting out clues or codes, use both hands, require some degree of memory work, involve hand-eye coordination, and generally demand mental energy. These kinds of activities will either keep the connections in the brain bright and active or help in the formation of extra connections so that if you do suffer from a neurodegenerative disease as you age, you might have some brain to spare.
Knitting is a perfect example of this kind of activity. It definitely requires both hands, it absolutely requires hand-eye coordination, it even uses both hemispheres of the brain at once. As you knit there is obviously an element of memorization as you work through stitch patterns. I can tell you that a knitting chart is definitely a code you have to decipher in order to achieve any degree of success. In fact, knitting is one of thirteen activities that a study in the journal Neurology suggests reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s. French researchers have found that knitting, gardening, working crossword puzzles, and traveling all help to reduce the incidence of dementia and keep your mental acuity as sharp as your needles.
What all of this means is that though knitting is certainly no magic bullet for wellness in the aging brain and there’s no substitute for exercise and an all-around healthy lifestyle, it’s definitely beneficial and can increase your odds of keeping the brain healthy — and that means that though non-knitters may laugh at us for our silly hobby, we may very well be laughing last … and longest.
5 ways
TO GAIN HEALTH BENEFITS
FROM KNITTING
1 Knitting has been shown to help form new pathways and connections in the brain and it may help prevent Alzheimer’s and dementia as you age.
2 Assuming you’ve rather got the hang of it, knitting can lower blood pressure and promote relaxation. (Every knitter knows that obviously, not all projects go down that way.)
3 Knitting results in tangible progress. All those who do it see the immediate effect of their actions and can experience measurable success, some degree of focus, and a sense of accomplishment and progress, however small. This can be helpful for those who struggle with depression.
4 Joints require motion to stay healthy. For those knitters with arthritis, “use it or lose it” remains an important notion in treatment. Knitting can help arthritic hands remain flexible and promotes a reduction in pain. (Naturally, this assumes that you are able to limit knitting and not slide all the way from “use it or lose it” to the rather uncomfortable “abuse it.”)
5 Knitting can promote fitness. Who among us has not raced to the yarn store, run for a wool sale, walked a mile to find the merino we’re looking for, or wrestled another knitter to the ground for that last skein of tweed that we need to finish a sweater? (Maybe that last one is just me. It was a very nice tweed.)