I am delighted to announce that Series 8 will be live next month!

I have had some really interesting conversations with my guests this series and I can't wait to share them with you.

In the meantime, if you'd like to be kept up to date on all the latest news you can sign up to the Creative Restoration Newsletter which is a montly round up of all our events, workshops, podcasts and blogs, along with an update on our own knitting projects!

You can sign up here: creative restoration

In our first book club episode, Paula and Mia each discuss a book they have read on the subject of the psychology of craft.

Paula has read 'Craftfulness' by Arzu Tahsin and Rosemary Davidson

Mia has read 'Craft Psychology' by Dr Anne Kirketerp

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.

Here's how to stay in touch:

Sign up to the Creative Restoration newletter here

Follow Mia on Instagram: @knittingistherapeutic

Follow Paula on LinkedIn here

Join Paula and I as we answer your questions about the field of knitting and mental health. Apologies that the audio quality isn't as good as usual for this episode, we tried out a new method of recording and had a few technical issues.

We'll be back at the end of the month with a Book Club episode!

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.

Here's how to stay in touch:

Sign up to the Creative Restoration newletter here

Follow Mia on Instagram: @knittingistherapeutic

Follow Paula on LinkedIn here

This month Dr Paula Redmond and I discuss another research paper into knitting and mental health.

The paper we discuss is: Joanna Nordstrand, A. Birgitta Gunnarsson & Greta HäggblomKronlöf (2024) Promoting health through yarncraft: Experiences of an online knitting group living with mental illness, Journal of Occupational Science, 31:3, 504-515,

The full text of this article is available here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14427591.2023.2292281#abstract

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.

Here's how to stay in touch:

Sign up to the Creative Restoration newletter here

Follow Mia on Instagram: @knittingistherapeutic

Follow Paula on LinkedIn here

This is our second bonus episode for anyone wanting to know or read more about the research into how knitting can benefit our mental well-being.

Fellow clinical psychologist and knitter, Dr Paula Redmond and I will be reading one research paper a month and discussing it in our journal club podcast.

We are also planning a Question an Answer episode, so if you have any questions about the research into knitting and mental health or how we use knitting in our work please do email me on [email protected] to let me know and we'll try to include as many as we can.

This month we are discussing: Riley J, Corkhill B, Morris C. The Benefits of Knitting for Personal and Social Wellbeing in Adulthood: Findings from an International Survey. British Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2013;76(2):50-57.

Unfortunately the full article isn't available for free, but options for access are here

I refer to the interview with Betsan Corkhill which you can listen to here: Betsan Corkhill

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.

Here's how to stay in touch:

Sign up to the Creative Restoration newletter here

Follow Mia on Instagram: @knittingistherapeutic

Follow Paula on LinkedIn here

This is a bonus episode for anyone wanting to know or read more about the research into how knitting can benefit our mental well-being.

Fellow clinical psychologist and knitter, Dr Paula Redmond and I will be reading one research paper a month and discussing it in our journal club podcast. This month we are discussing Healing Stitches: a scoping review of the impact of needlcraft on mental health and well-being. The full-text of this article is available here: Healing Stitches

I refer to the interview with Betsan Corkhill which you can listen to here: Betsan Corkhill

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.

Here's how to stay in touch:

Sign up to the Creative Restoration newletter here

Follow Mia on Instagram: @knittingistherapeutic

Follow Paula on LinkedIn here

Have you ever stressed yourself our by overcommitting to gift knitting? Do you end up being exhausted by the festive season? Then we have a bonus episode for you! Subscribe to the Creative Restoration newletter here to receive our bonus episode as soon as it is released on 14th November to help you keep your self-care on track during Christmas, and continue to use knitting to benefit your mental wellbeing.

This is the final episode in series 7 - thank you so much for listening!

Joining me this week is Kristina LaVenia who is a senior lecturer in leadership at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. She has collaborated with Project Knitwell on research delivering knitting workshops for staff in educational settings.

Kristina speaks about her own journey using knitting throughout the pandemic, and her experience of offering this as an intervention to others.

You can follow Kristina on Instagram here: @klavenia

Mia Hobbs

Find out about our NEW Audio Course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time

Sign up to the newsletter to be the first to know about new episodes: Creative Restoration

Instagram: @knittingistherapeutic

Carole Wyatt is a cancer doctor who has been diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. She speaks about using knitting to cope with the difficult days, and also to create a handknitted legacy to pass down to her future grandchildren.

Mia Hobbs

Find out about our NEW Audio Course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time

Sign up to the newsletter to be the first to know about new episodes: Creative Restoration

Instagram: @knittingistherapeutic

Tamanna is a nurse practioner and multi-crafter who works in the field of mental health. Tamanna joins me to speak about her own journey to knitting, sewing and embroidery, how this connects her to family traditions and her values of sustainability and ethical production of clothing.

She also speaks about she uses fibre arts to benefit the mental health of herself and others.

Tamanna Rahman

Instagram: @slow.work.sewing

Website: slow.work.sewing

Mia Hobbs

Find out about our NEW Audio Course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time

Sign up to the newsletter to be the first to know about new episodes: Creative Restoration

Instagram: @knittingistherapeutic

Whitney is a plus size knitter and YouTuber who is passionate about taking back the power to create clothes she loves in colours she enjoys. She speaks about how knitting has helped her to love the body she has, rather than feel that she to change her body to fit the clothes she can buy.

Whitney Swinimer

Whitney's website: knittedbywhitney

YouTube: Knitted by Whitney

Whitney's article on how knitting helped her to fall in love with her body

Instagram: @knittedbywhitney

Mia Hobbs

Find out about our NEW Audio Course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time

Sign up to the newsletter to be the first to know about new episodes: Creative Restoration

Instagram: @knittingistherapeutic