A lot people found themselves with free time on their hands in the evenings when, more or less, strict lockdowns started worldwide. Since then I’ve seen many articles encouraging people to use their new, spare time wisely and pick up a hobby such as gardening or learning a new language. Many, including myself, started baking excessively or experimenting with new recipes. After a couple of months of spending too much time in the kitchen and a severe shortage of baking staples in the supermarkets, fatigue set in though for most and take-out meals took the upper hand again.What surprised me was that amongst the many hobbies that were suggested, picking up an actual craft hardly showed up on any of those lists. After the mentioned realisation that I spent the vast majority of my free time in the kitchen, I decided to pick up knitting again last year. The last (and first time) that I was ever into it was when having had a newborn. If you compare the first months of maternity leave with being in lockdown you realise that you are in a similar situation (except for the severe lack of sleep of the former, obviously). Life slows down drastically and you rarely leave your own four walls within a day. Knitting calms me and I regard it as my own way of meditating. Of course to fully relax while knitting you need to be familiar with at least some basics (something that you can achieve fairly quickly by trawling through the many knitting tutorials for complete beginners there are on YouTube). Once you mastered the basics and found a pattern you want to give a go, knitting requires just enough concentration to leave a busy mind behind and concentrate on the here and now. It is my current practice to stop worrying and cease the non-stop planning ahead and pondering that usually takes over any available headspace. Besides this benefit of knitting (or any other craft), you’ll end up with an actual product which is very satisfying in itself.
katazukete 