Knitting is not just about the finished product. Sure, it feels good to pull on your first finished hand-knit beanie, but the act of creating something out of nothing has been proven to provide numerous therapeutic benefits. Knitting has meditative qualities—the repetitive motions, the counting, the concentrated silence—and has been proven to reduce cortisol levels and blood pressure, lowering stress and anxiety. Because of this, knitting has been recommended to help decrease pain, manage depression, increase self-worth, and manage stress.
In the book, Knit for Health and Wellness, author, Betsan Corkhill, highlights some of the health benefits and lessons brought about by the act of knitting. Below are our favorites.
We were inspired to create our Give-A-Sh*t Knit Kits after teaching a friend how to knit when she was diagnosed with Leukemia at the age of 25. At such a chaotic time in her journey, she just wanted a glimpse of normalcy, and learning to knit with a group of her girlfriends seemed like the perfect solution. By the end of the night, a light bulb had gone off for everyone in the room—the act of knitting was incredibly therapeutic. Our friend’s mom remarked that for the first time in weeks, she had spent the night thinking about something other than cancer.
It was clear that knitting had a very positive impact for this group and, most importantly, our dear friend. Young adults undergoing cancer treatment often deal with a combination of physical and emotional trials. If knitting can help, we want to give them the materials that can make a difference in their quality of life. The Give-A-Sh*t program would be a way for us to help our friends, whether we knew them directly or not, deal with the difficulties of cancer treatment. We started by partnering directly with hospitals and have since expanded to allow for individuals to request kits themselves.
Each Give-A-Sh*t Knit Kit includes everything a patient may need in order to complete a knitted project:
Click through our videos, donated by Hive Studio, to get a closer look at how to complete your knitting project.
Shit That I Knit
