Active Hands, Calm Minds

How crafts like knitting can help deal with stress

- Donyale Harrison

THE CLICHÉ OF a knitter is a white-haired lady-possibly one who also solves murders, if you're an Agatha Christie fan. But in the 1940s, young male Royal Air Force pilots wielded needles as they waited for their next mission. Wartime pilots crashed a lot and 'lap crafts'-like knitting, embroidery and beadwork-helped rebuild dexterity in wounded limbs while also helping to settle wounded minds. They were the cornerstone of early occupational therapy.

Today, millions of people around the world employ these same techniques. "They are entwined with our mental health," says Janine Smith. Along with Deb McDonald, she co-owns Skein Sisters, a store in Sydney, Australia, that sells supplies for knitting and crocheting. "I know that if I haven't knitted for a few days, I really miss it. It's like meditation."