Why I Knit by Dr Mia Hobbs

02.22.2024

The Q&A Episode

Thanks so much for your questions for the Q&A; episode, it has been so interesting to be asked such great questions. Mia Hobbs Find out more at my website: www.therapeuticknitting.org Follow me on Instagram: @knittingistherapeutic

02.08.2024

Making something beautiful from the darkest places in life with Elizabeth Hammond

For the final episode of series 6 I am joined by Elizabeth Hammond, also known as The Knitchen on Instagram. Elizabeth describes herself as a knitter, test knitter and dabbling designer. She joins me to speak about turning to...

02.01.2024

Feeding a part of my brain that needs to be fed with Ellen Coy

Ellen describes herself a tech editor and occasional designer who identifies as queer and neurodivergent. She speaks about how knitting feeds her inner engineer and allows her to use some skills that she might otherwise have explored in her career....

01.25.2024

Knitting to connect mind and body with Madison Siegel

Madison Siegel joins me this week to speak about using knitting as a mindful practice to help her to step back from and notice her thoughts rather than be caught up in them. She speaks about having a diagnosis of...

01.18.2024

Reconstructing yourself through craft with Susie Bass

Susie Bass is a researcher studying a PHD in the relationship between power, identity and mental health through craft. Susie is a knitter and multi-crafter and during our discussion she speaks about how craft has been a common thread...

01.11.2024

Putting slowness at the heart of life with Fran of Woollen Hearted

Fran is a bear maker and multi-crafter who is originally from the UK but now lives in the Pyrenees mountains of France. Fran speaks about how craft has helped to negotiate living with chronic illness and a diagnosis of...

01.04.2024

Loose Ends with Masey Kaplan and Jen Simonic

The Loose Ends Project aims to ease grief, create community, and inspire generosity by matching volunteer handwork finishers with projects people have left unfinished due to death or disability. The founders, Masey and Jen join me to discuss their...

12.08.2023

Series 6 coming soon!

The Why I Knit Podcast is back with series 6 starting on 4th January 2024! Thanks to everyone who has been in touch to ask when the new episodes are coming out - I look forward to sharing 6 more...

07.20.2023

Crochet is a reason to live with Kathryn Vercillo

Kathryn Vercillo is a writer and crafter who specialises in the intersection between art and mental health. I particularly loved Kathryn's focus on her relationship with craft being something that is constantly evolving, and her celebration of every...

07.13.2023

Knitting for confidence and self-compassion with Jessica Hendrickson

Jessica Hendrickson is the Creative Design Director at Lion Brand Yarn. As a teenager she had such a strong desire to make and wear her own clothes, that she told her parents she had to attend a school without...

07.06.2023

Knitting to refill my mental health bucket with Dr Kaman Hansford

Dr Kaman Hansford is a GP who joined us on one of our retreats for healthcare professionals. She has lived experience of using mental health services and knitting is now a crucial part of her wellbeing plan. Kaman speaks...

06.29.2023

Knitting is a constant companion with Kesha Evans

Kesha Evans learned to knit 11 years ago when her son was born prematurely and was in the NICU. She was approached by Carol Caparosa from Project Knitwell who offered to teach her to knit. Despite not considering...

06.22.2023

Knitting myself back together with Jude Harper of Stranded Dyeworks

Jude generously joined me to speak about how he found knitting and the knitting community during a difficult time, and how knitting was a crucial part of putting himself back together. He also speaks about the death of his...

06.15.2023

Knitting for work-life balance with Shona Mason

Dr Shona Mason is a dentist and teacher who encourages her students to develop interests outside of dentistry to prevent burnout and encourage them to have a positive work-life balance. As part of this mission she runs a knitting...

06.12.2023

Series 5 is coming soon!

I am so sorry that it has taken much longer than planned for Series 5! However I am pleased to announce that episode one will be available this Thursday 15th June. In the meantime you can listen to all...

02.08.2023

The Why I Knit Podcast would love your feedback!

Thank you so much for listening to the podcast, I am so thrilled that so many of you have connected with the themes we have discussed. I would really value your feedback on how I can continue to create...

02.02.2023

Intentional crafting with Marceline of Hey BrownBerry

It was a joy to spend time with Marceline to hear her reflections on her relationship with knitting, how this has changed over time, and how she aims to be more intentional in her making. Marceline speaks about tuning in...

01.26.2023

Reclaiming something for myself with Andrea Lui the Knitting PT

Andrea is a physical therapist and passionate knitter who is perfectly placed to provide professional advice on what to do when we suffer pain when knitting, and how to prevent it in future. Andrea speaks about how she...

01.19.2023

Knitting for calm and connection with Kaleb James

Kaleb decided to return to knitting during the pandemic as a way of managing anxiety and to feel connected to his mum who had been a prolific knitter. Kaleb speaks about finding that knitting allowed them to slow down,...

01.12.2023

A happy dance with my hands with Lisa Silver

I knew I wanted to interview Lisa for the podcast when I heard her speaking about her experience of having ADHD on Irina Shaar's 'Humans of Westknits' series during the recent Westknits mystery knit along. As someone who isn't great...

01.05.2023

Something that meets me where I am with Ailie the Thoughtful Knitter

Ailie hosts the Thoughtful Knitter YouTube channel. She speaks about returning to knitting in recent years as her health problems meant that she wasn't able to connect with friends and family in the same way. Ailie speaks about her...

12.22.2022

Being a part of history with Irina Shaar

You can tell by the way Irina Shaar interviews knitters and other fibre artists that she loves connecting with people and finding out how they tick, so it was brilliant to hear her story and to get the chance to...

12.15.2022

Knitting as a safe space with Ellen of Sew and Inspire

Ellen is a pretty inspiring 16 year old! She sews and knits and already seems to have figured out how to use these crafts intentionally to manage the times when she is struggling with low mood or anxiety. ...

12.05.2022

Series 4 coming soon!

Series 4 is coming on 15th December! Sorry for the long wait and thanks for your patience. I am looking forward to sharing these 7 new conversations with you. If you have guest suggestions, please send me...

08.04.2022

Creating something from nothing with Sylvia Watts-Cherry

Sylvia Watts-Cherry is a knitwear designer and teacher who is probably best known for her colourful intarsia designs. I love listening to other people talk about knitting, and was really drawn to Sylvia's description of her Paragon sweater design...

07.28.2022

Something beautiful in every day with Dr Jen Unwin

Dr Jen Unwin is a clinical and health psychologist who after retiring from her NHS role is now working with people with food addictions. She is a lifelong knitter who has herself found that knitting is an important part...

07.20.2022

Creating something meaningful with Eileen Jack

Eileen has been a knitter since she was a child, but returned to it recently during a challenging time in her life. She discovered a new love for knitting and has now started to create her own designs. ...

07.14.2022

Knitting for compassion, connection and creativity with Dr Paula Redmond

Dr Paula Redmond is a clinical psychologist who specialises in working with healthcare professionals who have experienced burnout or workplace trauma. Paula and I met through the world of psychology, and I was delighted to meet another clinical psychologist...

07.07.2022

Knitting is just something just for me with Liz McNeil

This week I am joined by Liz McNeil. Liz is a knitting coach who works for Knit Chats where she helps knitters with their knitting dilemmas and teaches classes about different techniques. Liz speaks about how knitting has...

06.30.2022

The origins of Project Knitwell with Carol Caparosa

Although Carol Caprosa doesn't consider herself to be an 'expert knitter' she, along with the many volunteers working on behalf of Project Knitwell have brought the gift of knitting to thousands of people during stressful times in their lives. It...

06.23.2022

Storytelling in Knitting with Karie Westermann

It was such a pleasure to meet Karie and speak to her about how she learned to knit and dressmake out of necessity as a very young child in rural Denmark. Then many years later, knitting helped her to recover...

06.10.2022

Trailer Series 3

Series 3 is coming on 23rd June! I am so looking forward to sharing another series of 6 conversations with knitters, designers and even another psychologist. You can catch up on all the previous episodes at the website: Podcast |...

04.14.2022

Knitting for a sense of achievement with Liz O'Riordan

CW: discussion of cancer, loss of fertility and depression Liz O'Riordan is a breast surgeon who has herself experienced cancer, twice. She now works as a speaker, author and podcaster providing high quality and accessible information about cancer from...

04.07.2022

The magic of turning an idea into reality with Clare Mountain-Manipon

Clare is a knitting pattern designer and design mentor. She learned to knit as a teenager and studied knitwear design but after working in the commercial fashion industry has found her niche designing patterns and helping other people learn...

03.31.2022

Knitting in cancer care with Susan Yaguda

TW: Cancer and bereavement Susan Yaguda is passionate about knitting as a form self-care. She is an oncology nurse who has used knitting with both staff and patients at the Cancer Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina. These have...

03.24.2022

The power of colour with Milli Abrams

It was an absolute pleasure to speak to Milli about her relationship with knitting. Right now she is the owner of Tribe Yarns, a yarn shop in Richmond-upon-Thames in London but she has also circumnavigated the globe on a...

03.17.2022

The magic of creating with Casey Bernard

This week I was excited to be joined by Casey Bernard, who is one half of the Very Pink Knits podcast. I have listened to this podcast for several years now and particularly enjoy the conversations that Casey and...

03.10.2022

Crafting a connection to self and others with Nasreen Imrit

Nasreen (also known as @sewcraftynaz on Instagram) is a multi-crafter and relatively new knitter. She joins me on the podcast to talk about how craft has allowed her to connect to her mother who died when she was very...

03.03.2022

The Joy of Making with Meghan Fernandes and Lydia Gluck

Series two is starting with another 'pinch me' moment as I am joined by Meghan Fernandes and Lydia Gluck, the founders and creative directors of Pom Pom magazine! As you'll hear, discovering Pom Pom inspired me to...

02.27.2022

Why I Knit Series 2 Trailer

The podcast is back for series two on Thursday 3rd March. I am really excited to share another series of interviews with brilliant guests all of whom believe that knitting plays an important role in their mental wellbeing.

01.06.2022

Knitting for creative expression with Dana Williams-Johnson

Dana Williams-Johnson, or DWJ is a doctoral student and professor of marketing at Howard University. She is also a passionate knitter of colourful sweaters for humans and very small dogs! She also writes a column for Modern Daily...

12.30.2021

Knitting as a wellness tool with Lauren Brennan of Project Knitwell

Lauren Brennan is the Managing Director of Project Knitwell, a charity dedicated to using knitting as a wellness tool and bringing this to people in hospital and community settings. Lauren speaks about her own journey in using to...

12.23.2021

Knitting as a security blanket with LJ of Rusty Ferret Yarn

LJ is the owner of Rusty Ferret Yarn and also speaks openly about how she has used knitting to manage anxiety and low mood. She has brilliantly named her new yarn range after her struggles with low mood. ...

12.16.2021

Therapeutic Knitting with Betsan Corkhill

Betsan Corkhill is internationally recognised as an expert in therapeutic knitting. Hear about how a stack of letters in a filing cabinet let to Betsan's career specialising in the therapeutic benefits of knitting and how she rebranded knitting as...

12.09.2021

Knitting saved my life with James McIntosh

TW: Homophobia, suicide and depression James McIntosh taught himself to knit with chopsticks and string when he had been so low in mood that he couldn't leave his bed. He now credits knitting with saving his life. See...

12.02.2021

Knitting for meaning and community with Ros Edwards

Ros Edwards is a prolific knitter who has had a bed-bound illness for the past 5 years. Ros speaks about how knitting helps her to manage chronic pain and the psychological distress of her illness. Ros also speaks...

12.02.2021

Knitting for Colour and Challenge with Atia Azmi

Atia Azmi is a knitter, sewer, blogger and podcaster who is known for her creative use of colour in her makes and her home. Atia speaks about the joy of using knitting as a creative outlet where she can...

11.09.2021

Trailer Season one - Why I Knit

The first episode of Season 1 will be released on 2nd December! I have some amazing guests and can't wait to share our conversations with you. You can follow me on Instagram @knittingistherapeutic or contact me via my website www.therapeuticknitting.org