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Knitting Brain Cells Together

While I was reading about boosting brain power, I had the intuition that knitting has got to be exercise for your brain.  Sometimes knitting can be meditative.  And believe me, struggling to wrap my mind around that lace pattern for my recently completed shawl--that was a brain workout.  I can't tell you how much ripping out I did before I finally got started.  At some point my brain and my fingers just started to work together.

Well, lo and behold, it turns out that there is some scientific investigation into the benefits of knitting (crocheting and sewing, too) for the brain.

According to Dr. Yonas Geda of the Mayo Clinic, knitting may be "neuro-protective."  It may reduce memory loss and symptoms of depression, which seems to be a factor in the likelihood that mild cognitive difficulties will lead to dementia. 

An interesting article about therapeutic knitting can be found here.


Maybe it's taking the easy way out, which might not be in the proper spirit,  But, hey, way easier than reading Kafka.  That's what I think.

Comments

  1. I think knitting might be stressful for me - find me another activity, please. For you though - perfect!

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  2. I'm with Barb. My friends tried to teach me a couple of years ago, and I failed. My grandmother tried decades ago. I wasn't ready. There's got to be other activities for us knitting flunkies.

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  3. I'm with Barb and Mercyn I fear. My arthritic hands won't take that type of work so I will have to find another way.

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  4. Well, now I have to get my project going. Really! I'm not surprised, I like the meditative qualities of knitting. But I still can't read a pattern.

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  5. I'm thinking about taking it up - I crocheted for a few years way back when. What I don't think I could do at all is quilt.

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  6. Then I'd better get my skein out.

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  7. I like how you think Olga!
    Visiting from GrandmasBriefs.xom. Love your blog. I can't knit but I do crochet and I really believe it staves off depression and such. Have a beautiful day!

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  8. For sure there's power needed to do it well. My mom very many bit of wool and created the most elaborate patters that were repeated and all from her brain!!

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  9. I'm glad there are meditative knitters so I can wear sweaters, but I'm unhandy with those kind of skills and do much better with gardening or walking. We all manage different things, don't we?

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  10. Yea for a Minnesota doctor and his open support of knitting! I live in Minnesota. I knit. My brain still works!

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