So I am knitting a new hat. This one is for William. The thing about being a toddler is that your head keeps getting bigger so the hat that fit last year is tiny this year. I've got it around half done. I'm knitting it on the round (yes, I'm using a circular again, and I have to tell you that the Susan Bates Velocity needles are so much nicer to knit with than the Clover) and I've kind of improvised a cable pattern that runs for around 5 inches and the rest will be a 4:2 rib. I'm not going to gather the top; instead I'm going to sew it shut in a straight line that will run from left to right. It will have ear flaps with ties, and I might put little pom poms on the corners of the top, but I'm not sure. I should have it done soon, just in time for the cold and me to take a picture of it to share with you and, of course, for William to refuse to wear it.
Holga image by lexistibitz on photobucket.com
Your Doctor Wants You to Knit
I have been knitting like a fool lately, in large part because it calms me down. You've seen the posts on Ravelry and news groups with titles like "Knitting Keeps Me Sane" and the like, and I can attest to it's Zen-like powers. Ever being the scientist I wondered about this, and if any studies had been done on the therapeutic powers of knitting. It turns out that none other than the Harvard Medical School Mind/Body Institute found that while people are knitting they actually can enter into a meditative state leading to a heart rate decrease of up to 11 beats per minute and a drop in blood pressure. Cool, huh? If you want to read more here's the press release from Lion Brand Yarns.
