Hyperfixation Review: Knitting

Starting us off with a newcomer from 2019 - knitting. I learned to knit when I was about 10, but I went off it very quickly because I spent my pocket money on some yarn without realising that I didn't have the right size of needles for it. Devastating. I revisited knitting right before lockdown started (I think it was literally the day before all the nonessential shops in Scotland closed) because I left work early and randomly decided I wanted to knit again while on my way home. I picked up two types of yarn and some new needles.

Knitting is really, really fucking fiddly. I think my history of playing musical instruments meant my fingers were dexterous enough for it but mamma MIA it's a lot to remember. Not to mention, my tendency to panic and lose concentration when I mess up meant that I couldn't fix any mistakes and I had to keep restarting. Not great for a perfectionist. However, the fiddliness of it and how focused I have to be on avoiding mistakes means it's an absolute game-changer for stopping racing thoughts. If I'm even slightly distracted, I will miss a stitch, do a knit instead of a purl etc. so I have to quiet my brain down a lot in order to knit properly.

It cost a little bit of money to get started (£15 or so for the two skeins of yarn and some shitty plastic needles) and to be honest, the average scarf costs a bit less than how much it costs to get enough yarn to make a scarf. For this reason it isn't a solid 10/10. However, for me, the main benefit of it is that it keeps my hands and mind busy, and the resulting scarves make great gifts. All in all I would recommend this hyperfixation to anyone who has a bad time with racing thoughts or intrusive thoughts because it encourages you to clear your mind and allows for fidgeting, unlike other mind-clearing techniques like meditation.

Hyperfixation Rating: 9/10