There's also knitting as therapy -- a multi-use hobby!

Good idea. Very mediative.

Knitting-blogging is serious business. I found a site quite by accident called 'The Yarn Whore' and her blogroll, all knitting related, as as large as any pundit-bloggers.

It's clearly a serious business.

I am working on a mental health research project examining the uses of knitting (and crochet, weaving, etc)as adjunct therapy for depression.

We have a women's depression group therapy in place; we are looking for any information out there in the fiber arts community (there is nearly none in the medical/mental health research) regarding any research going on on this subject. We are also interested in hearing any personal experience any one of you may have had using fiber arts along side of other therapy for clinical depression.

Any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated.

Our object is to design research that will be published in the professional mental health journals. By doing so, we hope to make systematic use of ALL the resources available to help people, especially women, who are struggling with depression and depression related issues.

Sincerely,

Mary Madonis
Chaplain and Grief and Loss Counsellor
Sinai-Grace Hospital
Detroit, Michigan

hi mary i'm an undergradaute studying psychology at uni and am planning to evaluate a knitting group that i have been runing during my work placement year, working with old age service users in an inpatient mental health hospital. i plan to evaluate the group on the basis of the good the knitting group does in terms of encouraging concentration and social interaction, i to need research to help me in my final year thesis...i havent done a grave deal of research hunting, but have been advised by my placement manager that i might be better off serching for literature in this area in occupational therapy journals...sumthing i have come across which you might find intresting is some research currently being started at Cardif university, wales, uk in there psychology department on knitting and depression...if you do find some good literature in this area, please let me know by e-mail, i would be greatful
yours truly

Charlene Taylor, udergraduate, coventry university, England, uk