Knit Yourself Calm

Author(s): Lynne Rowe, Betsan Corkhill

Art and Design

Knitting is a relaxing and therapeutic pastime, and this winning combination focuses on mindfulness and the perfect stress-busting knitting projects. Whether you choose a portable project to knit on the go, a group project to do with friends, or one that introduces new skills to stimulate a creative mind, this book is the perfect path to keeping calm. The book is aimed at beginners as well as more advanced knitters, but does not include anything more complex than basic knit and purl stitches, increasing, decreasing and some simple colourwork. Lynne Rowe covers the essential techniques at the start of the book, followed by projects that have been specifically designed for mindfulness. The projects themselves are split into five sections: Quick and Easy, Portable, Group, Big, and New Skills. Within these sections, you can choose to make things such as a wash cloth, a hat, a blanket, a shawl and an evening bag, amongst others. Every single one has been designed to promote calm and mindfulness and all the projects are beautifully photographed with clear and simple knitting patterns. The Introduction is written by Betsan Corkhill, an experienced healthcare professional who founded the community interest company stitchlinks.com in 2005. It has grown into a global online community for those who enjoy the therapeutic benefits of craft, and in particular, knitting. Betsan has also advised on the projects included in the book and repetitive techniques to promote a calm state. The five sections have different ways of promoting calm and the feelgood factor: Quick and Easy: the projects in this section are designed for when you when you feel like a quick fix to raise your mood. Use your favourite colours and textures to enhance the benefits of the rhythmic movements and the feelgood effects. The feeling of success you experience will motivate and inspire you. Portable: These smaller projects are even more portable, so keep one in your bag at all times. Use it to manage stress on the go, on your commute to work, in your lunch break, when travelling or at any other time when life is getting a bit much and you need to feel calm. Group: Getting together with friends to knit, chat and laugh over a cuppa is one of life's joys. Supportive friends help us to live longer, healthier, happier lives so why not combine the calming nature of knitting with the support of being with friends? It's a powerful way to switch off your stress fight-or-flight response and switch on a bit of fun, play and laughter. Big: It's a lovely cosy feeling to sit quietly at home with your Big project on your lap, keeping you warm as you knit. Let it be your constant friend, the one you turn to to find calm and consistency when the world around you feels a bit frantic. As you get into the flow of the pattern, its familiarity will enable you to settle into a soothing rhythm whenever you need to knit yourself calm. New Skills: Learning new skills on a regular basis is essential for nurturing a healthy brain, opening new neural pathways and even encouraging the growth of new brain cells right into old age. This section focuses on a range of new skills to encourage you to experiment with different stitch patterns and combinations of colour and textures. They are designed specifically to stimulate your creative mind. Whatever your skill level, there are plenty of projects in this book to help you achieve calm, bust those stress levels and enjoy a pastime which is creative, fun and produces beautiful projects to wear, or for the home.


Product Information

Lynne Rowe was taught to knit and crochet by her grandmother in her early childhood and has been hooked ever since. She has developed a wide range of specialist skills and loves to pass these on to others through her workshops and classes. She is best known for her whimsical designs which feature regularly in the UK's most popular craft magazines, along with articles and technical guides. Her practical approach makes her patterns straightforward, easy to read and fun to make and her aim is to encourage as many people as possible to knit and crochet. Lynne has a keen interest in the therapeutic aspect of knitting, and has taught many people over the years with various mental/health issues and has first-hand experience of how simple, repetitive tasks such as knitting can both help the mind and relieve stress. Lynne is active on social media, with her own website, Facebook page, blog and Pinterest page. She has written two books for Search Press: Once Upon a Time in Crochet (published April 2015 and sold 2071 copies of US edition and 2162 copies of UK edition) and 20 to Make: Crocheted Mandalas. Betsan Corkhill is an experienced healthcare professional specialising in physiotherapy and is a passionate advocate of the 'whole-person' approach to health. She supports people in improving their wellbeing, whether they are fit and well or learning to live with a long-term medical condition. Her background as a physiotherapist enables her to combine wellbeing coaching with her medical knowledge to help individuals develop a personalised wellbeing plan. Betsan founded the community interest company stitchlinks.com in 2005. It has grown into a global online community for those who enjoy the therapeutic benefits of craft, particularly knitting, and is pioneering scientific research into these benefits. She is also an experienced magazine production editor and regularly writes articles for a range of publications.

Quick & Easy: Washcloths Men's Scarf Chunky Cushions Portable: Cartridge Stitch Cowl Hats Socks Group: Squares Blanket Bunting Teddy Big Projects: Nursery Blanket Shawl Bag New Skills: Tea Cosy and Mug Cosy Cabled Mittens Herringbone Stitch Evening Bag Hot Water Bottle Techniques: Tension Casting on (the 2 methods) Casting off How to knit and purl Garter stitch and stocking stitch Increasing Decreasing Knitting in the Round Blocking Mattress stitch Making a pom-pom Socks: Picking up stitches Kitchener stitch Tea Cosy and Mug Cosy: Fairisle Cabled Mittens: Cables Hot Water Bottle Cover: Duplicate stitch

General Fields

  • : 9781782214939
  • : SEARCH
  • : SEARCH
  • : 0.95
  • : April 2017
  • : 260mm X 204mm X 8mm
  • : September 2016
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Lynne Rowe, Betsan Corkhill
  • : Paperback
  • : 01
  • : English
  • : 746.43/2
  • : bl2017050914
  • : 120 Illustrations, color