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The Therapeutic Magic of Fiber Crafts for Seniors

In this blog post, we explore the wonderful world of fiber crafts and their positive impact on the elderly. Engaging in various fiber crafts, such as knitting, crochet, weaving, and more, can offer numerous physical, mental, and emotional benefits for seniors. Let’s delve into the therapeutic magic of fiber crafts and how they can enhance the lives of our beloved elderly community.

I recently visited my parents and my mom who used to crochet when I was younger had asked me to help her get back into crochet. Her oldest sister who is 96 now has been back into knitting the last few years making things like shawls, and now baby blankets. I have friends who all knit or crochet, etc and they have all said the same thing. The medical community also has said these activities are wonderful for so many reasons. As we get older and age takes it’s toll on things anything we can do to prolong that with crafts to help your fine motor skills and mental abilities as well as other things is a great start. Here are some of the benefits.

1. Mental Stimulation and Cognitive Benefits: Fiber crafts require focus and concentration, stimulating the brain and enhancing cognitive abilities in seniors. Learning new patterns, colors, and techniques can keep their minds sharp and agile, reducing the risk of cognitive decline.

2 Physical Dexterity and Motor Skills: The repetitive movements involved in fiber crafts help seniors maintain and improve their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. This can be particularly beneficial for those with arthritis or other age-related conditions.

3. Stress Relief and Emotional Well-being: Crafting with fibers provides a calming and meditative experience, reducing stress and anxiety levels in seniors. It can serve as a creative outlet for expressing emotions, boosting their overall emotional well-being.

4. Social Connection and Community: Joining knitting circles, crochet groups, or weaving workshops to name a few, offer seniors the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals, fostering a sense of belonging and combating feelings of isolation or loneliness.

5. Purpose and Sense of Accomplishment: Completing a fiber craft project gives seniors a sense of achievement and purpose, boosting their self-esteem and confidence. It also allows them to create meaningful gifts for loved ones or contribute to charitable causes.

6. Intergenerational bonding: Fiber crafts provide a unique opportunity for intergenerational bonding. Seniors can pass down their knowledge and skills to younger family members, creating cherished memories and strengthening family ties. As well as integrating it’s you get folks in the groups.

7. Adaptive Techniques and Inclusivity: For seniors with physical limitations, there are adaptive techniques and tools available that enable them to participate in fiber crafts. This inclusivity ensures that everyone can experience the joy of creating with fibers.

In Conclusion: Fiber crafts are more than just hobbies. They hold the power to enrich all our lives whatever the age but for seniors in numerous ways. From improving cognitive function and physical dexterity to promoting emotional well-being and social connections, these crafts offer a holistic approach to healthy aging. So, let’s all embrace the therapeutic magic of the fiber crafts and encourage our elderly loved ones to explore their creativity and passion!

I am thrilled that my mother and my aunt have done so and I personally know how it has benefited me in so many ways. Do you have a loved one or a friend that does any of the fiber crafts? I’d love to hear how it has helped them.

Having lifelines for your fiber craft

As a knitter, crocheter you know that crafting is not just a hobby- it’s a way of life. From scarves to sweaters, blankets to hats, there’s always a new project to start and a new skill to master. However, like any activity, knitting and crochet can take a toll on your body. That’s why it’s important to know about lifelines.

Now, I can describe the actual term of what a lifeline is for those that craft and use them which is usually a thin piece of thread or yarn that is placed into your knitting or crochet project at regular intervals. They can be used to help you keep your place in your pattern, but their main purpose is to provide a safety net. But I also believe and it is true for me especially lately that lifelines come in other forms besides a physical tool to help with a project. With my struggle lately mentally my craft has become a lifeline for me in so many ways. It is a release from the tension in my house and the stress I may feel either from work or home life. But I also know that besides the craft itself being a lifeline, I find that my social group of friends that knit and crochet with me weekly for a couple hours a week for a knit and chat time are also a major lifeline for me. Again all of these aspects being a safety net of some sort.

Why are lifelines important

Lifelines are important for complex patterns, like lace work or when working with delicate fibers. It’s easy to get lost in a pattern or make a mistake, and undoing work can be time consuming and frustrating. With a lifeline in place, you can confidently tackle even the most complicated of patterns, knowing that if you make a mistake, you’ll be able to get back on track. Additionally, if you are working with a delicate fiber like mohair or silk, you may not be able to unravel your work without causing damage. A lifeline can help you avoid having to undo your work entirely, which can be a lifesaver. I would add here that by reaching for your knitting or crochet or whatever craft you do when in tough times and stress, you can find some sense of peace and calm. For me it has become a type of meditation for me as well. Now to be clear, that is picking a simple, easy project to do that does not take a lot of brain work to do. But the process of just knitting or a simple crochet project like washcloths or something easy like a blanket, are great things to meditate with. Just focusing on the process of function to help you forget what has caused your stress or frustration is good.

In conclusion, lifelines are an essential tool for any knitter or crocheter. They can help you save time, prevent frustration, and ensure that your projects turn out the way you want them to and help your sanity and peace of mind. They come in many shapes and sizes, be it friends that support you and help you in a pinch or a piece of thread you use to save your spot in a tough project. Or as a form of meditation. They are all lifesaving and I have come to rely on them more and more lately.

Finding joy in the little things

I know it’s been a while since I’ve written here but it was a tough holiday season and end to the year. But I have a new goal for this new year of 2023 and things are slowly looking up. Part of it is personal goals for myself and part is for my business of nexusknits.

One personal goal is to take advantage of the little things that come into my life and find joy in that. Like this picture of the sun coming up in the early morning outside my living room windows. The bit of pink and blue together. The quiet before anyone else is up (other than the animals). It’s a beautiful start to a winter morning here in Bozeman Montana. It brings me a since of peace and calm. Another new experience I am working on this year is my mental health and my overall health. With starting meditations and learning more about myself and how I’m feeling about things that come up and realizing that every emotion or feeling I have is ok even if it’s not a good one. So my big personal goal for this new year is to take care of myself first and not overwhelm myself with things I can’t control. Even those that live in my own house. Part of finding the joy in little things is also in my craft. Be it knitting, crochet, spinning, or whatever I do. That in it of itself is a form of meditation as well for me. When I focus on the process rather than the end goal. I am also learning to manage my time for all the personal things and my business things so I can get things done more. More to come on the business side of things and some new products to show. Til next time, find the joy in all the little things that come into your life like the sunrise in the morning if you can.

Winter is here

Let me start by saying I know the calendar says it’s still fall but here in Montana it has been winter since the beginning of November. It is dec 3rd and there is snow outside and it’s currently 6 degrees F.

What does that mean to a lover of the fiber arts like knit and crochet? It means I get to play with warm fuzzy stuff longer. I’ve almost finished two sweaters, one in knit and one in crochet already.

As well as more hats and socks, etc. Now let’s be clear I am not a seasonal crafter. I don’t just knit and crochet in the colder months like some people do. I do this all year round. There are just some fibers that are easier to work with in different temperatures.

Do you craft just in the cold months or all year? I’d love to know. Not judging just curious. My crafts are not just a hobby for me. They are my lifeline and my business as well. If you like to knit or crochet what do you make when the weather gets cold. I’d love to hear. I am going to try to do better in the coming year to blog more. One of my things on my list to do. Until next time, happy crafting and whatever holiday you celebrate this month, please enjoy and have a safe and healthy end of the year.

Rainy memorial weekend

It’s a holiday weekend here in the USA. It’s also what most think of as the start of summer. Schools are done. Most anyway. For us in Montana it is the last long weekend before the end of school. As people go camping or travel for the long holiday it is once again rainy and wet for the forecast this weekend. So for me it’s a good weekend to get some projects done and or start new ones. Also getting ready for what is my busy time for my business with the start of farmers markets.

These are just some of the new things that I will be adding for the market. I hope everyone has a good holiday weekend if your in the USA. If your not, have a good weekend and please stay well.

Thoughts this mothers day weekend

As I sit here having been listening to the rain come down this Saturday morning, the day before Mother’s Day, I’m thinking what can I do this weekend when it’s wet and the weather is unpredictable. As a crafter and a lover of handmade things I thought I might check out the handmade fair that is happening today. And then I thought I want to get some of my own crafting done this weekend while I have the time. I have lots to do before the farmers markets start in almost a month.

So, despite the rain I took my mother in law, who’s living with us, to the handmade fair and got some things from some wonderful vendors there. It would have made it a nice day to end it there and say I spent the rest of the day working on my projects but no that’s not how it ended. I ended up getting a call that had me taking my son to the er cause he has been going through a bout of depression and anxiety and felt he needed to be seen for help. He had been seeing a counselor weekly for help or a little over a month now but he needed a bit more than that I guess. So, hopefully now we will get him on the right path forward.

As a mom I struggle a little with this in not seeing the signs or thinking in some way I should have done more but I know from my experience that it is not the case. I have to commend both my kids as they have gone through their struggles with mental health that they have had the strength and knowledge to know and reach out for the help that is available.

So, on this Mother’s Day weekend I would say it is more of a reflective time for me. No big gifts from my kids and happy time. It is more a time to realize that there are things in life that even a mom cannot fix with just a hug. My kids know that I will always support them and I am here for them in whatever they need but I also realize that I can’t always fix every problem they may have. As much as I would love to.

On a side note, as a knitter I was thinking as we were sitting in the er waiting for them to figure out what best to do for him I was kicking myself because this was the one time I didn’t have a project in my bag to work on. I could have gotten so much done at the time. So I vowed from now on to make sure I always have something to do in those moments when life happens to through you a curve ball. For those new moms out there that might read this, welcome to motherhood. It is a roller coaster ride of emotions for the rest of your life I will say and it never stops. But one I would not change.

The last thing I would say about this weekend is I am grateful for my craft I have cause it is my safe place. It helps me through these bumpy ride sections and curve balls that come. As well as the smooth parts of the ride. Happy Mother’s Day. Til next time, I will be crafting on through it all.

Rebranding of company

It is now the end of March believe it or not of 2022 and before we get further into the year I decided that i need to get working on my goals I had set. One of which is to move my business forward this year. Part of doing that is changing things up to help improve my footprint. I love my look though that my daughter came up with for me but I feel like the time is right to give it a bit more professional look and something that really shows more of what nexusknits is. So I’ve hired a professional designer to come up with a brand that says this and am excited to see what she comes up with. I will be debuting that in the coming weeks. I will also be updating my product photos as well to make it all connected. These will be across both my platforms.

Spring is here and it gives me a sense of freshness and renewal. A great time to bring about some change.

A beautiful view of the Bridger
mountains from near my house.

With spring and the changing up of my space I also have looked at some of my patterns and changed up at least one. This hat pattern featured the half double herringbone stitch in crochet. It still does but I have changed the start for increases and alternating the pattern for the body of the hat. I’m calling this one spring flowers for the color palette. It makes me think of flowers coming up. What do you think?

Spring flowers hat. Pattern by nexusknits

In conclusion, there will be lots changes coming in the coming months and all being good. Let’s all spring forward and bring new life in our lives whatever that means for you. Til next time, keep crafting and connecting.

Going through my stash

So, do you love yarn? Like really love yarn? I know I have loved yarn and natural fiber for years. Recently though, I have had to do some rearranging in my house due to taking on a member of our family moving in soon so have had to move out of the room that I was using as my craft room. Now into part of my living room.

In the process of doing all this I have had to go through my stash as I have had to move it all and come to the realization that I had a lot more yarn then I had remembered. I have now filled at least two large bags full of yarn to donate as it is stuff that does not bring me joy or I see working with in the near future. I’m still not done by the way. As you can see from the picture my shelving is pretty full already. Granted parts of those shelves has yarn for items I’m making for the markets coming up and sales online in my shop as well.

I guess you could call this my jump on spring cleaning. Which in some ways is a good thing since it clearly was needed. I try to do it at least once or twice a year but now it is extra full on as my space is more limited now. A little stressful yet also a relief as I am clearing out things I will not use and finding projects I had started but not finished and will probably either rip out or consider finishing them. Stay tuned for more on that.

In conclusion, all of this has shown me that I need to be more mindful of what I am spending for yarn and making sure I have something in mind to do with it given my limited space to keep it. It’s all good and much needed. Til next time, keep crafting and for this month hope it includes some crochet. More in my next post on that.

Making new things

Hi, so today I thought I would talk about what has been on my mind lately. I have been doing some test knitting for a favorite designer I know. She comes up with wonderful items like hats and cowls and shawls. In the process of doing that though it has made me think that I could take that leap into the design world and try my hand at designing some items myself. So even though I love both knit and crochet so much, my first love I would have to say is crochet since that is what I started with. So, it would make sense then that my first few designs be in crochet. Now I did design some hats before but then I stepped back and didn’t continue. I have gotten the bug again now and looking at designing some market bags and some hats.

This is one of my ideas. I love the moss stitch. Also called the linen stitch or granite stitch. There is a linen stitch in knitting too which is similar in texture. This stitch makes a wonderful, warm feel which I perfect for hats and cowls that are meant to keep you warm. The yarn I am using for this is some lion brand roving in their ice cream brand. There are many colors. It is a nice soft acrylic. Perfect for babies or anyone with issues with wool.

I will be adding a market bag as well in the coming weeks. More items to come. How about key chains? What do you think?

How to move forward in 2022

I know it’s been a while since I last blogged but I have been doing a lot of reflecting and trying to decide what my goals are for this blog and for my business moving forward in the new year.

I decided I want to try my hand at making some new items like some keychains or key fobs as some are stated. As well as some other items like a new market bag to be available in a few months. I’ve been inspired by some friends that have been designing a lot lately and have helped some with test knitting their items which I love to do but it has also sparked in me the notion that I can do the same. To make some new things to brand for nexusknits and add to my shop. So what do you think of this one to start?

The stitch I used for this one is one I have used a lot in some of my other items like my washcloths and dish towels. This one is a longer one. I am going to be trying out some other sizes as well. Let me know in the comments what you think and if you would like to see some others. Maybe with other stitches. Like a puff stitch maybe? I will also be making some with charms as well. Ones that are too big to really work for stitch markers. I have four colors in key fobs to choose from. This one pictured is more like rose gold.

I’ve also decided that in a effort to promote my website/shop I will be adding these items initially exclusively there for people to buy before I consider adding them to my Etsy shop. I have partnered with goimagine, a new handmade company that is a little over a year old but amazing to sponsor my shop online. They are doing something a lot of internet companies are not. They are giving 100% of their profits to childrens charities. I want to help support that and I hope you will too. Please come checkout http://www.nexusknits.com and see what I have. I am constantly adding new things and improving all the time. It’s a work in progress for sure.

Also one last thing. In a effort to expand my social media outreach, I am now on TikTok as well. You can find me there as @nexusknitter67 . Til next time folks, stay warm, stay healthy and take care.