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Why I Knit

Dr Mia Hobbs

Welcome to the Why I Knit podcast! My name is Dr Mia Hobbs and I am a Clinical Psychologist who is passionate about the mental health benefits of knitting.
Each episode of the podcast I interview a different knitter about why they knit and the (k)nitty gritty of how it impacts their mental well-being.
I have an inspiring and diverse range of knitters lined up who have generously shared their stories with me.
Find out more about the therapeutic benefits of knitting at my website and find our webinars, workshops and blogs at www.creativerestoration.org or follow me on Instagram @knittingistherapeutic

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  • 26 episodes
  • Avg 47 min
  • English

Episodes 26

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  • S8 · E10
    Oct 29, 2025 · 27 min

    Bonus episode - Knitting for burnout prevention with Dr Paula Redmond

    For this bonus episode I am joined by Dr Paula Redmond who specialises in working with health professionals experiencing burnout. Paula speaks about her own journey into this work during Covid, and how creativity in her personal life has encouraged her to bring this into her work. We talk about what burnout is, and who might be more likely to experience it, and why knitting is a great tool to prevent burnout. We'll be going into this in much more detail in our webinar, Unravelling Burnout If you'd like to find out about Paula's clinical work in the area of burnout, or download her free Burnout Toolkit you can visit her website here: Dr Paula Redmond ------------- 🧶 Come and join our new community on Patreon! Perks include early access to podcasts, weekly behind the scenes videos and a monthly online knitting circle. This will enable us to connect more meaningfully with you all, grow the podcast and share more resources about knitting, creativity and wellbeing. 🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time. 🧶Catch up on our on-demand webinars: The Healing Power of Knitting where we take a deep dive into the mental health benefits of knitting Unravelling Burnout where we look at how we can use knitting as a tool to prevent burnout Knitting for Attention and Focus. We explore how knitting and crochet can support concentration, attention and mindful awareness, particularly for people who struggle with restlessness, distractibility or overwhelm. Here's how to stay in touch: 💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter 📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond Mentioned in this episode: Join our community on Patreon! We'd love you to join us on Patreon - you can support the podcast while accessing perks such as early access to new episodes, our weekly behind the scenes videos and join our monthly online knitting circle.

  • S8 · E10
    Oct 1, 2025 · 48 min

    Journal Club - Knitting for anxiety and compassion fatigue in nurses

    Join Clinical Psychologists Dr Mia Hobbs and Dr Paula Redmond as we discuss two research papers about knitting and mental health. These papers both relate to nurses and supporting them with the challenges of their role. Paper 1 relates to using knitting to reduce compassion fatigue in nurses Paper 2 relates to using knitting to reduce anxiety in nursing students ------------- 🧶 Come and join our new community on Patreon! Perks include early access to podcasts, weekly behind the scenes videos and a monthly online knitting circle. This will enable us to connect more meaningfully with you all, grow the podcast and share more resources about knitting, creativity and wellbeing. 🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time. 🧶Catch up on our on-demand webinars: The Healing Power of Knitting where we take a deep dive into the mental health benefits of knitting Unravelling Burnout where we look at how we can use knitting as a tool to prevent burnout Knitting for Attention and Focus. We explore how knitting and crochet can support concentration, attention and mindful awareness, particularly for people who struggle with restlessness, distractibility or overwhelm. Here's how to stay in touch: 💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter 📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond Mentioned in this episode: Join our community on Patreon! We'd love you to join us on Patreon - you can support the podcast while accessing perks such as early access to new episodes, our weekly behind the scenes videos and join our monthly online knitting circle.

  • S8 · E9
    Jul 30, 2025 · 51 min

    Healing and soothing through knitting with Dr Katya Miles

    For the final episode of series 8 I am delighted to be joined by Dr Katya Miles of The Working Well Doctor. Katya works as a Coach and Trainer for health professionals and people in high stress professions. She speaks about turning to knitting during the Covid pandemic when she was self-isolating with covid and how she now associates knitting with healing and soothing, and it is part of her own toolkit for managing stress or high demand situations. We talk about recovering from perfectionism and give our views on why so many health professionals are attracted to knitting and needlecrafts. Connect with Katya Website: Working Well Doctor Instagram: @theworkingwelldoctor Facebook: @theworkingwelldoctor ------------- 🧶 Come and join our new community on Patreon! Perks include early access to podcasts, weekly behind the scenes videos and a monthly online knitting circle. This will enable us to connect more meaningfully with you all, grow the podcast and share more resources about knitting, creativity and wellbeing. 🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time. 🧶Catch up on our on-demand webinars: The Healing Power of Knitting where we take a deep dive into the mental health benefits of knitting Unravelling Burnout where we look at how we can use knitting as a tool to prevent burnout Knitting for Attention and Focus. We explore how knitting and crochet can support concentration, attention and mindful awareness, particularly for people who struggle with restlessness, distractibility or overwhelm. Here's how to stay in touch: 💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter 📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond Mentioned in this episode: Join our community on Patreon! We'd love you to join us on Patreon - you can support the podcast while accessing perks such as early access to new episodes, our weekly behind the scenes videos and join our monthly online knitting circle.

  • S8 · E8
    Jul 23, 2025 · 53 min

    Neurodivergence and knitting with Una

    I was delighted to be joined by Una, also known as @TheNeurodivergentCraftClub on Instagram. Una speaks about how knitting has been helpful in recovering from burnout, but has also been a really useful way to find out what her brain really needs - both to find some moments of focus and to feel settled and satisfied. It was so interesting to talk to Una about her experience of being a neurodivergent knitter and the reasons she believes that many neurodivergent people are attracted to knitting. Connect with Una Instagram: @theneurodivergentcraftclub Substack: neurodivergentcraftclub ------------- 🧶 Come and join our new community on Patreon! Perks include early access to podcasts, weekly behind the scenes videos and a monthly online knitting circle. This will enable us to connect more meaningfully with you all, grow the podcast and share more resources about knitting, creativity and wellbeing. 🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time. 🧶Catch up on our on-demand webinars: The Healing Power of Knitting where we take a deep dive into the mental health benefits of knitting Unravelling Burnout where we look at how we can use knitting as a tool to prevent burnout Knitting for Attention and Focus. We explore how knitting and crochet can support concentration, attention and mindful awareness, particularly for people who struggle with restlessness, distractibility or overwhelm. Here's how to stay in touch: 💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter 📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond Mentioned in this episode: Join our community on Patreon! We'd love you to join us on Patreon - you can support the podcast while accessing perks such as early access to new episodes, our weekly behind the scenes videos and join our monthly online knitting circle.

  • S8 · E7
    Jul 16, 2025 · 38 min

    Teaching children to knit with Okeyele-Olatunji Elizabeth

    Elizabeth is a knitting teacher based in Nigeria, and she has made it her personal mission to teach 20,000 children to knit and 'think with their hands'. It was a pleasure to speak to Elizabeth about her own journey to becoming a knitting teacher, and how she has personally used knitting to help her to cope with grief and loss. Elizabeth also speaks about her experiences of teaching children to knit and why she believes this is a valuable addition to their education. Connect with Elizabeth Instagram: @tunnizze Facebook: @tunnizzecreations ------------- 🧶 Come and join our new community on Patreon! Perks include early access to podcasts, weekly behind the scenes videos and a monthly online knitting circle. This will enable us to connect more meaningfully with you all, grow the podcast and share more resources about knitting, creativity and wellbeing. 🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time. 🧶Catch up on our on-demand webinars: The Healing Power of Knitting where we take a deep dive into the mental health benefits of knitting Unravelling Burnout where we look at how we can use knitting as a tool to prevent burnout Knitting for Attention and Focus. We explore how knitting and crochet can support concentration, attention and mindful awareness, particularly for people who struggle with restlessness, distractibility or overwhelm. Here's how to stay in touch: 💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter 📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond Mentioned in this episode: Join our community on Patreon! We'd love you to join us on Patreon - you can support the podcast while accessing perks such as early access to new episodes, our weekly behind the scenes videos and join our monthly online knitting circle.

  • S8 · E6
    Jul 9, 2025 · 57 min

    Creating Community with Allison Thistlewood

    Allison Thistlewood is a creator of community in the knitting world. She has had various roles in and around the yarn industry, and the common thread in all of these roles is that she brings knitters together: at yarn festivals, for yarn crawls and on retreats and trips. Allison joins me to talk about her experience of moving to the UK from Canada, and how knitting was instrumental in helping her to make connections with new friends, and how she has continued to want to bring this opportunity to other knitters. Allison's yarn event Make Joy is returning to Woolwich Works on 8th November - you can find more info on her website and sign up to her newsletter to be informed when tickets go on sale: https://champagneandqiviut.com/about-make-joy Connect with Allison Website: Champage & Qiviut Instagram: @champagneandqiviut ------------- 🧶 We are hosting a LIVE version of our webinar The Healing Power of Knitting on 14th July at 7pm BST followed by a Q&A 🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time. 🧶Catch up on our on-demand webinars: The Healing Power of Knitting where we take a deep dive into the mental health benefits of knitting Unravelling Burnout where we look at how we can use knitting as a tool to prevent burnout Knitting for Attention and Focus. We explore how knitting and crochet can support concentration, attention and mindful awareness, particularly for people who struggle with restlessness, distractibility or overwhelm. Here's how to stay in touch: 💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter 📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmond Mentioned in this episode: How to support the podcast Thank you so much for listening. If you value the podcast and would like to support it, here's how: 1. Sign up to our monthly newsletter here: https://creativerestoration.org/newsletter/ 2. If you've enjoyed the podcast please leave us a rating and a review to help others hear about it. 3. Please consider sharing the podcast on social media or send it to a friend who might enjoy it. Thank you so much for your support, we really appreciate it.

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