Lovecrafts.com recently very kindly offered me a knitting kit and pattern in order to practice a little self care.
Knitting and crafts are a really good way to relax and create something. There is a real sense of accomplishment as you finish that last stitch, row or glue that last thing down. In fact, research is showing that knitting can reduce anxiety and depression. It’s also been shown to slow the onset of dementia and distract from chronic pain. Who am I to argue with science right? Even inpatient units in hospitals and care homes are starting to encourage knitting in order to help patients heal physically and emotionally.
I am very much the amateur knitter, I can cobble together a scarf and have made a couple of blankets for the cats. Last year I mastered the art of knitting with more than one colour and I made a few rainbow scarves for friends! I can’t cope with a complicated pattern yet and “knits and purls” are about my limit.
I was able to choose two yarn colours and was gifted two balls of super chunky wool, knitting needles (a UK size 12) and the pattern. You can download lots of patterns for free on their website.
On a rainy Wednesday afternoon last week, armed with a mini cupcake, a nice cup of tea and my knitting needles and wool, I sat myself down and started my project.
I used the Millamia Lia scarf pattern, available to download for free here. Two balls of Millamia wool is enough to make one scarf. If you like your scarves to be longer and wider then you will likely need 4 balls of wool. Buying everything you need for this project will cost you £19.98.
I decided to create a pink and green striped scarf with different sized stripes.
This knitting project would take a much more advanced knitter around 45 minutes. With a lot of “help” from the cats, it took me an afternoon and an evening to finish. The pattern is really easy – its a simple garter stitch which makes for quite a stretchy end product – perfect for a scarf.
The wool is lovely, soft and chunky. It’s really nice to knit with.
It’s a really easy way to lose a couple of hours to yourself, you don’t need to think about anything else, you can just relax into the noise of the knitting needles clicking together while you catch up on whatever TV show you are currently binging (for me, it was the ever brilliant Father Brown).
You can also download this free My Making Journal from their website – 12 pages that will help you track your projects and plan for the year ahead. Self care is really important and knitting is a perfect way to look after yourself and have something beautiful that you made yourself and can be proud of!
I really enjoyed this project and I will definitely be buying some more wool and using the pattern again.
Lovecrafts have a whole page full of free knitting patterns for you to instantly download here. With all softs of difficulties, there really is something for every level of expertise.
I thoroughly enjoyed this project and I love the scarf that I made. It’s soft, chunky and warm. Just like me! I’d like to thank Lovecrafts for this gifted opportunity.
Do you enjoy knitting? Have you ever thought about creating something to promote your own self care? Get in touch below.
Don’f forget you can follow Lovecrafts on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook. They even have an app you can download (Search “Lovecrafts” in the App Store).
this was a gifted opportunity in exchange for my fair and honest review.
Love this idea, the colours you chose are beautiful and love the chunky wool