Slow Knitting, Slow Crochet, and Mindfulness

Have you ever sat in silence or with some soft background music and really took your time to work on your knitting or crochet project? Then you’ve felt part of what slow knitting and slow crochet is like.

What is slow knitting and slow crochet?

Slow knitting has been described by Hannah Thiessen as an approach to knitting (and crochet) that has an emphasis on making knitting/crochet a meditation, a passion and a unique necessity.

She further goes on to write in her book Slow Knitting: “For those of us who knit, our fiber purchases add up, too, and quickly turn into swatches, samples, patterns, and projects, speeding into the hands of lucky loved ones. Long gone are the days of early knitting discoveries; the once slow, halting gesture of making a knit stitch now multiplies by the thousands, casting on, binding off — we become fly fishermen of the hat, sock, and sweater. We love the feeling of accomplishment as we come to the end of a project, and we carry the glow with us into the casting on of the next and the next, in quick succession.”

While the focus has mostly been on slow knitting, we at Knitpal feel that the same can also be said for “slow crochet”.

Rather than charging through the single crochets and trebles, we need to fully appreciate the skill of creating the project instead of simply loving the finished object. 

Of course, we sometimes do fly through a project (especially if we’ve forgotten a birthday or a celebration like Christmas is coming closer very quickly), but we can still enjoy the time it takes to make it!

Creating mindfully

Slow knitting and slow crocheting, however, doesn’t just mean slowing down the actual speed at which you’d normally work, it also means taking joy in the act of making the stitch — yes, even if you’re only knitting garter stitch.

By focusing on each stitch — the wrap of yarn around a knitting needle or crochet hook, the soothing click-click of knitting needles, and seeing your work in progress slowly grow as you become aware of the work that goes into the creation — you will find that you find an inner, peaceful sanctuary.

This focus on the stitches that are formed are mindfulness at it’s best. You’ll soon find that your breathing also slows down as you slow down your knitting and crocheting. And this, in turn, leads to an even greater sense of peace and tranquility. 

Choosing fiber and yarn for slow knitting and crochet

Let’s face it — it’s so much nicer to work with natural fibers or high-quality acrylic than it is to spend as little as possible on your yarn, knitting needles, and other tools and then not really enjoying knitting as much as you could.

When you do choose fiber, make sure that you buy the best yarn or blended fiber yarn that you are able to afford.

For example, not only is merino wool a feast to work with, but plant fibers like cotton, linen, and bamboo are also available in luxuriously soft yarns. These natural fibers are also much more environmentally friendly than their acrylic (which is really just a way of saying “plastic”) counterparts, as the latter isn’t bio-degradable. 

KnitPal team spirit yarns and slow knitting and crochet

KnitPal Team Spirit Yarn is in a class of its own when it comes to hand-dyed yarn.

All KnitPal yarn is made from 100% Merino wool, which means that it is completely bio-degradable. This wool comes from the Andes of Southern Peru and is ethically sourced from mostly small, rural farms owned by women.

Because the farms are so high above sea level (11,500-16,000 feet above sea level), the sheep have adjusted to the great temperature fluctuations of up to 50 degrees Fahrenheit in a day by growing very dense fleece. This fleece has a high thermal quality as well as being very durable. 

Hand-dyed with care, love, and happiness, KnitPal yarn and kits are created to not only match your team’s colors to perfection, but also to give you a wonderfully calm and blissful time working on your projects.