How it all started

Until 2002 I was a Senior Physiotherapist, working in the community. There
were many patients I could do nothing for because they had become so demotivated that giving them an exercise program was futile. They had
become inactive because they had no reason to get out of their chairs - they simply existed behind four walls. Their days had no structure or purpose.
What they needed was social contact with the outside world and to have a reason to get out of bed in the mornings. The system we all found ourselves
in took no consideration of the whole person. I became very frustrated and decided on a major career change.

Fast forward the next few years here to the point where, as a freelance production editor. I found myself called in to help out the CrossStitcher magazine team.

It was here I was made aware of the large numbers of people who were using stitching and knitting to successfully self manage a variety of medical conditions, in particular stress, depression and chronic pain. I immediately thought of my ‘community patients’, so I decided it warranted further investigation.

The large volume of people making strikingly similar claims about the
therapeutic benefits of knitting and stitching made me realise that this
could be something important.

I began to think of ways I could get the message across to others who might benefit. So the idea for Stitchlinks was born in January 2005.

My initial thoughts were that knitting and stitching could provide an easily accessible way of occupying those who were housebound. It’s been known for some time that occupied people feel less pain and depression than those who do nothing.

It was clear from the anecdotal evidence that knitting and stitching were powerful distractants, enabling people to literally take their mind off, even severe, pain. However, as I dug deeper it soon became clear that the benefits were going much deeper than simply occupying people. These knitters and stitchers we experiencing changing attitudes and becoming motivated to do other activities.

In addition, narratives we’ve received bear out my feelings that the issues of

Social isolation/loneliness
Low self esteem
Fear/anxiety/worry
An unoccupied mind free to ruminate

need to be dealt with alongside medical treatments. It’s my experience that no matter how excellent the actual medical treatment, if these issues are left unaddressed the patient will continue to have significant problems. Quality of life matters. The whole person matters – mind and body. Those who are fit and healthy should also pay heed to theses issues as a preventative measure.

Knitting and stitching are effective in dealing with these issues and are ideal complements to medical treatments.

Together with experts in pain management and depression, psychologists and healthcare workers we’ve formed a number of theories which we aim to test out with controlled research. You can read Our Theories So Far here.

Just imagine doctors prescribing a dose of stitching twice a day! "Impossible" we can hear you say, but doctors and nurses are already referring to a group I run at a local hospital.

I think, through our research, knitting and stitching could form the basis of significant therapies in the not too distant future.

Please Contact me to let me know of your experiences.