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Why I Knit

Why I Knit

Dr Mia Hobbs 88 episodes Nov 5, 2026

Why I Knit is a podcast hosted by Dr Mia Hobbs, a Clinical Psychologist who explores the mental health benefits of knitting. Each episode features an interview with a different knitter, discussing their personal reasons for knitting and how it impacts their well-being. The podcast aims to highlight the therapeutic aspects of the craft through diverse and inspiring stories.

Episodes

Self-care One Stitch at a Time: LIVE!
Self-care One Stitch at a Time: LIVE! Nov 5, 2026 01:10 We wanted to let you know that we will be running our first ever live cohort of our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time in January 2027. Join the priority waiting listIf like me, you find it hard to stick with a pre-recorded online course and fit it into your schedule, and prefer the accountability and community of a live course then this is the course for you!The course will run for 6 weeks f
Knitting to recharge your energy with Ailsa Stephen
Knitting to recharge your energy with Ailsa Stephen Oct 22, 2026 39:54 Game of Wool finalist and knitwear designer Ailsa Stephen joins me for the final episode of Series 10.Ailsa speaks about learning to knit as a young child and returning to it during the pandemic, and how this soon turned into her love of knitting vintage patterns. Ailsa talks about her experience of appearing on Game of Wool, and how she was surprised to be chosen to appear on TV as a quiet person
Knitting for burnout recovery with Dr Hannah Barham-Brown
Knitting for burnout recovery with Dr Hannah Barham-Brown Oct 15, 2026 43:21 Dr Hannah Barham-Brown is a GP and lecturer living in rural Scotland. Hannah speaks about learning to knit during lockdown around the same time she was diagnosed with ADHD, and found that this was something productive she could do with her hands.Hannah speaks about bringing knitting to board meetings and as a lecturer, and advocates for this as a reasonable adjustment to help with focus. She talks
Knitting for safety and stillness with Nessa Hubbard
Knitting for safety and stillness with Nessa Hubbard Oct 8, 2026 38:52 Knitting coach Nessa Hubbard joins me to discuss her own journey with knitting and crochet, going from being taught to knit as a very young child to help her to sit still to teaching other people to knit and crochet, and helping them to boost their skills and crucially also their confidence.As someone with ADHD, Nessa speaks about feeling that knitting helps to hold her brain in a way that nothing
Knitting to manage overwhelm with Thomas of Tommy Gurumi
Knitting to manage overwhelm with Thomas of Tommy Gurumi Oct 1, 2026 01:04:54 Tommy gurumi on instagramThis week on the podcast I am delighted to be joined by Thomas, who is known online as Tommygurumi. Thomas talks about learning to knit accidentally on a long car journey to impress someone, and then finding his own particular love for creating knitted models of characters. Probably unlike most knitters, Thomas usually knits things that don’t have an existing pattern, whic
The human stories of knitting with Salina Jane
The human stories of knitting with Salina Jane Sep 24, 2026 01:17:35 Salina Jane is an artist and knitter who brilliantly captures the feelings many of us have about our knitting in her art work. It was a pleasure to speak to Salina about her experience of using knitting throughout her recovery from a recent period of illness, and how she uses both knitting and visual art to tell human stories.You can find out all about Salina's work at her website Salina Jane Art
Knitting as creative collaboration with Kitey The Yarn Whisperer
Knitting as creative collaboration with Kitey The Yarn Whisperer Sep 17, 2026 01:01:36 This week I am delighted to be joined by yarn dyer and yarn shop owner Kitey, who is also known as The Yarn Whisperer. Kitey speaks about his journey from crochet to knitting, and how dying yarn unexpectedly brought together lots of different parts of his heritage.He also reflects on the importance of keeping some craft projects for himself as someone who works in the yarn industry, and the creati
Knitting for the ups and the downs with Lydia of Weku Yarn
Knitting for the ups and the downs with Lydia of Weku Yarn Sep 10, 2026 54:53 Series 10 returns for a series of interviews exploring why we knit and how knitting benefits our mental health. This week I am joined by Lydia who is the Co-founder of Weku Yarn which she runs alongside her sister Hannah. You may also know Lydia as one of the finalists from the first series of Game of Wool.Lydia joins me to speak about how she learned to knit, how her relationship with knitting ha
An exciting announcement...
An exciting announcement... Sep 3, 2026 03:12 Series 10 is on the way, and with it a new and exciting development! We have created a Patreon Community and we'd love you to join us there - the perks for supporting the podcast will include early access to episodes, our behind the scenes weekly videos and you can join us at our monthly online knitting circle.We are really looking forward to growing the community element of Creative Restoration s
Knitting for addiction recovery - Journal club
Knitting for addiction recovery - Journal club Aug 6, 2026 48:41 In this Journal Club episode Dr Paula Redmond joins me to discuss a journal article about using knitting in a center for drug and alcohol rehabilitation. This is a narrative of a knitting group within a rehab center for women living with addiction.The paper is here:Duffy, K. (2007). Knitting through recovery one stitch at a time: Knitting as an experiential teaching method for affect management in
Knitting for depression and low mood - a bonus relisten
Knitting for depression and low mood - a bonus relisten Jul 2, 2026 41:20 This week Dr Paula Redmond joins me to discuss how knitting can help with depression and low mood. We've chosen three episodes of the podcast in which my guests have discussed using knitting as a strategy to help with low mood, and we discuss our reflections and themes from these conversations.The episodes we listened to were:Series 4 episode 1 with Ellen of Sew and InspireSeries 1 episode 3 with
Journal Club - Knitting and Eating Disorders
Journal Club - Knitting and Eating Disorders Jun 18, 2026 38:04 This week Paula and I discuss the journal article investigating whether knitting can reduce anxious thoughts in people diagnosed with anorexia nervosa.Find the article here: Clave-Brule, M & Mazloum, A & Park, Rebecca & Harbottle, E. (2009). Managing anxiety in eating disorders with knitting. Eating and weight disorders : EWD. 14. e1-5. 10.1007/BF03354620. -------------🧶 Come and join

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