Knitting For Many Reasons Including Brain Health

My family has a recent history of dementia. For this reason, I especially pay attention to my brain’s health. In the beginning of my knitting journey, I didn’t know I’d encounter a continuous learning curve. What a wonderful surprise!

Staying healthy while aging can be a job all in itself. Becoming stagnant, and doing only what is familiar, can be detrimental to health. Illness, aches and pains can certainly sideline many to the armchair in front of the television. (Hey, I do watch TV a lot, but I’m knitting while I watch. And, I sit after I do my gardening, blogging and working. A little bit of lazy is okay. At my age, I have earned it.)

Health and Hobbies

Genes play a big part in our mind health. Some of us are simply born to be inquisitive and adventurous. Others prefer to be alone and sedentary. Studies have shown that, in general, we need to keep our brains active. Keep those synapses firing and making good connections for the thought process. I knit because I enjoy it, but I am always thinking that it is also good for my brain health.

How I Began Knitting

The knitting bug bit me when I lived in New Hampshire. With long, boring winters, and so many farms and creative people everywhere, how could I not begin to knit? 

My projects consisted of weird scarves full of practice stitches, and funny looking hats. But it was all fun, and I was hooked on trying all the stitches. I took knitting lessons from an older woman in the back room of her farmhouse. She taught me to knit simple hats. This was in 2006.

Now, I still enjoy knitting hats, but I have branched out and learned how to knit colorwork and cables.

Then, I moved on to knitting sweaters. This meant learning a bunch of new things about necklines, cuffs, sleeves, and yokes. The variety really interests me.

If you are a knitter, or want to be, the field is full of opportunities to expand knowledge. After a few years of constant knitting, I still have difficulty with certain stitches. I can ignore these challenges for now. Alternatively, I can try them whenever I feel ready for a challenge.

On my short list for learning is: Brioche and Steeking

Knitting in a Hot Climate

Now I live in Florida, and I am not too happy about it, but I make the best of it. Just because it is mostly sweltering, and ungodly humid, I have not stopped knitting. In fact, I knit all the time … with wool!  I love wool. Yarn shops around here don’t even sell wool, I don’t think. Go figure!

Almost every project you read about on this blog happened in the last few years while I lived in Florida. I had given up the idea of knitting when I first moved south. Eventually I decided that I needed to continue. I still had a lot to learn – about everything! From yarn types, swatching, pattern reading, chart reading, shopping for yarn, and blogging about this hobby, there is never a dull moment. Oh, and of course, taking time to knit my projects and photograph them. Skittle and Fontana are a big help.

Get Off The Wrong Path

I absolutely believe the single largest problem with society is the food we eat. Without the correct fuel (food and drink), we lack initiative and energy. We become lethargic and get sick. We can’t help but decline without goodness going in. On top of that, the medical community insists that we – especially older adults – need medication. They make us believe we can’t make it through our golden years without it!

I began paying close attention to these things when my mother, at the age of 66 was diagnosed with Alzheimers. My sister recently died after having another form of dementia, and she is younger than I am. I simply refuse to let my brain break down. These things are not random.

Have Hobbies, Plural

I totally appreciate the time I have for myself. My hobbies are important to me and they keep me going. They do not cost me a lot of money, which is good because I don’t have much. I knit and I garden. I also enjoy cooking healthy food, and studying about herbal medicines.

Hobby definition: An activity done regularly in one’s leisure time for pleasure.

I raised children for over 40 years. My kids were widely spaced in age and I put them first (as good parents do) for many years. I now work from home and no longer get up to an alarm clock. Having leisure time for myself is wonderful. I can sleep in if I want to. Every day I appreciate that I made it to this time in my life, just so I can relax.

It was a very tough journey. I’m certainly not living the wonderful retired life I envisioned and worked for. But, I am able to do things now that I never had time for. I am at peace, and daily enjoy the little good things.

Besides knitting, I have become interested in growing my own food. I have a blog that has been turned into a “Gardening in Florida” site. I write mostly to remind myself of what I’ve grown and how it’s going. Growing vegetables in Zone 9B (East central Florida) is very different from growing in Zone 5B (southern New Hampshire) . I have a lot to learn about gardening – once again.

Blogging is a great hobby too. I’ve had to learn technology for my online business, and that has been a good thing! Besides working online, I run three blogs and regularly update them all. When we go boating, I update that blog with pictures from the water. After a camping trip, I write about that.

The point is, keep going. Don’t give up. Always question the way the world is working. Find something to do that makes you happy, but don’t stop there. Most of all, keep your brain thinking and in good working order. We can’t do anything without it.

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