WHERE ARE WE NOW?
THE RESEARCH PROJECTS
We have been collecting narratives since 2005 and continue to do so from knitters, stitchers and crocheters around the world. The stories we've collected so far have been themed and have been invaluable in helping us form a number of theories, which are now ready to be tested in a range of projects. We are continuing to collect these and they are being analysed in detail.
The big question has been how to tease apart – or independently test – the various mechanisms that might be involved. Indeed, they are all so closely intertwined and interactive that perhaps we shouldn't be attempting to unravel the complexities as this might change the very nature of what is occurring.
It's clear that what is happening is highly complex resulting from a combination of the effects of the movements and the psychological and social benefits which will vary with each individual's specific makeup and needs.
For this reason any research projects we carry out will be centrally coordinated and share information. If you'd like to be part of this exciting work, please Contact us.
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COMPLETED STUDIES:
Knitting and Free Recall of Words - a pilot study. Jeni Hewlett, Dr Ulrich von Hecker, Cardiff University.
Results showed a difference between knitters and non-knitters but this wasn't statistically significant. However, findings showed a positive trend which suggests that after knitting, memory performance, as measured using Free Recall, may be enhanced by a short period of knitting that immediately precedes the recall attempt. A further study under more controlled conditions is needed to explore this effect further (see below).
Exploring the Effects of Knitting on the Experience of Chronic Pain. Betsan Corkhill, Stitchlinks; Carol Davidson, Nurse Practitioner, Pain Management Unit, Royal United Hospital, Bath.
A Poster presentation at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the British Pain Society April 2009. Click here to download pdf of the poster.
Knitting and Memory. Dr Ulrich von Hecker, Cardiff University and Betsan Corkhill, Stitchlinks.
This study took place at the School of Psychology, Cardiff University in June 2010. A BIG thank you to the forty knitters who volunteered to take part. Results at this stage were inconclusive although did suggest a difference between knitters and non knitters. The decision was therefore taken to extend the study to include more knitters. Thank you to I Knit London for enabling us to use their premisess and helping us out with finding knitters. Unfortunately results were still inconclusive so it was decided to abandon this line of investigation in May 2011.
A Knitting Survey. Dr Ulrich von Hecker, Dr Jill Riley, Cardiff University and Betsan Corkhill, Stitchlinks.
We received an amazing response to our online knitting questionnaire with over 3,500 responses from 39 countries in just two weeks. This means we have a massive amount of data to sift through which will enable us to look at issues such as how knitting affects those with depression or pain for example. Dr Jill Riley and Betsan Corkhill presented the preliminary results at the Annual Conference for Occupational Therapy in Brighton, UK (June 2011) and at the International Wellbeing Conference in Birmingham (July 2011). Papers are currently being prepared for publication. Detailed results are still being analysed by Dr Riley and statistician Professor Claire Griffel but you can find an initial overview here. A BIG thank you to Professor Griffel for offering her help in sifting through this vast amount of data.
This paper has been through the peer reviewing process and is currently awaiting publication in the British Journal of Occupational Therapy.
..................................................................................................................................................
Read More - Studies in Progress or in Planning
<<< Back
We have been collecting narratives since 2005 and continue to do so from knitters, stitchers and crocheters around the world. The stories we've collected so far have been themed and have been invaluable in helping us form a number of theories, which are now ready to be tested in a range of projects. We are continuing to collect these and they are being analysed in detail.
The big question has been how to tease apart – or independently test – the various mechanisms that might be involved. Indeed, they are all so closely intertwined and interactive that perhaps we shouldn't be attempting to unravel the complexities as this might change the very nature of what is occurring.
It's clear that what is happening is highly complex resulting from a combination of the effects of the movements and the psychological and social benefits which will vary with each individual's specific makeup and needs.
For this reason any research projects we carry out will be centrally coordinated and share information. If you'd like to be part of this exciting work, please Contact us.
..................................................................................................................................................
COMPLETED STUDIES:
Knitting and Free Recall of Words - a pilot study. Jeni Hewlett, Dr Ulrich von Hecker, Cardiff University.
Results showed a difference between knitters and non-knitters but this wasn't statistically significant. However, findings showed a positive trend which suggests that after knitting, memory performance, as measured using Free Recall, may be enhanced by a short period of knitting that immediately precedes the recall attempt. A further study under more controlled conditions is needed to explore this effect further (see below).
Exploring the Effects of Knitting on the Experience of Chronic Pain. Betsan Corkhill, Stitchlinks; Carol Davidson, Nurse Practitioner, Pain Management Unit, Royal United Hospital, Bath.
A Poster presentation at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the British Pain Society April 2009. Click here to download pdf of the poster.
Knitting and Memory. Dr Ulrich von Hecker, Cardiff University and Betsan Corkhill, Stitchlinks.
This study took place at the School of Psychology, Cardiff University in June 2010. A BIG thank you to the forty knitters who volunteered to take part. Results at this stage were inconclusive although did suggest a difference between knitters and non knitters. The decision was therefore taken to extend the study to include more knitters. Thank you to I Knit London for enabling us to use their premisess and helping us out with finding knitters. Unfortunately results were still inconclusive so it was decided to abandon this line of investigation in May 2011.
A Knitting Survey. Dr Ulrich von Hecker, Dr Jill Riley, Cardiff University and Betsan Corkhill, Stitchlinks.
We received an amazing response to our online knitting questionnaire with over 3,500 responses from 39 countries in just two weeks. This means we have a massive amount of data to sift through which will enable us to look at issues such as how knitting affects those with depression or pain for example. Dr Jill Riley and Betsan Corkhill presented the preliminary results at the Annual Conference for Occupational Therapy in Brighton, UK (June 2011) and at the International Wellbeing Conference in Birmingham (July 2011). Papers are currently being prepared for publication. Detailed results are still being analysed by Dr Riley and statistician Professor Claire Griffel but you can find an initial overview here. A BIG thank you to Professor Griffel for offering her help in sifting through this vast amount of data.
This paper has been through the peer reviewing process and is currently awaiting publication in the British Journal of Occupational Therapy.
..................................................................................................................................................
Read More - Studies in Progress or in Planning
<<< Back