# The dark side of knitting?



## lainey_h (Dec 14, 2013)

Just saw this today, and I think it's kind of interesting. Not that I'll stop knitting or anything drastic like that......

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/in-excess/201701/excessive-knitting-and-addiction


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## tatsfieldknitter (Jul 20, 2011)

Must NOT let dh see this post - it will confirm what he already thinks, ie, I'm an addict!


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## JTM (Nov 18, 2012)

lainey_h said:


> Just saw this today, and I think it's kind of interesting. Not that I'll stop knitting or anything drastic like that......
> 
> https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/in-excess/201701/excessive-knitting-and-addiction


Personally, I think that a Knitting Addiction is a very positive thing... nothing dark about it, unless of course you are knitting with black yarn.


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## BARBIE-s (Sep 15, 2014)

YES it is an addictive activity, however I find it soothing, calming to nerves, and productive...THUS................I am NOT going to quit knitting, so there :sm02: :sm02: :sm02:


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## Briegeen (Dec 9, 2012)

I agree 100%.



BARBIE-s said:


> YES it is an addictive activity, however I find it soothing, calming to nerves, and productive...THUS................I am NOT going to quit knitting, so there :sm02: :sm02: :sm02:


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## sockyarn (Jan 26, 2011)

Knit on fellow knitter.


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## doriso (Feb 22, 2014)

Very interesting article, which I saved. In the past, there have been serious posts from members asking if they were spending too much money on yarn.


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## lizzie91001 (Aug 14, 2016)

As a self-diagnosed, mildly OCD type of person, I can relate to a few of the "darker" knitting behaviors that are mentioned here. Using credit to buy yarn that you don't need, arriving late to events or skipping social occasions altogether because you simply must knit just a few more rows, a reluctance to engage in "normal" activities if you can't take your knitting, a compulsion to start new projects when you haven't finished old ones, and a feeling of let-down when you do finish a project sound a bit too familiar. Knitting addiction isn't as damaging as addiction to drugs or alcohol, but I sometimes wonder what I'd do if I couldn't knit any more, and it's not a pretty picture. Would I weigh 400 lbs? End up betting all my retirement check at casinos? Start smoking crack? I don't know, and I hope I never find out. 

Of course, I know lots of people who knit non-addictively, just as I know lots of people who can have a couple glasses of wine without ending up in rehab.


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## Aunt Nay (Nov 25, 2011)

I can see how knitting can keep the hands and mind busy and provide an alternative to undesirable behaviors. And there is the additional benefit of becoming a "maker", unleashing your creativity.


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## AuntieLoof (Mar 23, 2017)

It is interesting, but I consider that it somewhat twists definitions and terms. The article concedes that knitting and crochet are positive, constructive, stress-relieving, serotonin-stimulating, health-enhancing activities that can replace harmful addictions, and then goes on to criticize them simply for their "addictive" quality. Some of the parallels it draws between drug lingo and K/C vocabulary stretch the concept at best: knitting needles are hardly comparable to hypodermic needles, and one reason some of us have felt compelled to hide our "stash" is a modern societal bias against the formerly esteemed "domestic arts" as being a "waste of time." In college back in the fifties, my professors allowed us to knit in class because they said it concentrated the attention and helped students listen and remember even better than note-taking did. [The only prohibition was to never drop needles; that would have been distracting.] The author seems to be trying to force a far-fetched dark-side interpretation without sufficient evidence or credibility, or am I trying too hard to defend my creative and meditative sanity-keeper? Anyway, I am surely older than the writer of the article, so I claim the privilege of seniority.


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## Kansas g-ma (Mar 7, 2014)

Interesting article. It seems one of the more desirable addictions if it is kept under a bit of control-- no spending whole paycheck on yarn so you can't pay rent or buy groceries. I'd admit an addiction, always knitting, but also find it helps keep hands working. When I've not knit for a few days because of another required activity, my hands really cause problems. My hands need at least 2 hours of knitting each day.


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## BeadsbyBeadz (Dec 19, 2012)

If you fall for what is in this article, no one should have a hobby of any type. No sewing, no flower gardening, no boating, no skiing, no painting, no anything............which begs the question..........exactly what was the point of this entire article? Unless the point was that we should have no discretionary free time when we aren't at work, working about our homes, taking care of children, attending to farm animals, etc..........then we aren't to sit and relax? read? what? The things that some go after to make anything positive into a negative to get their name on a medical paper or newspaper article is mind boggling. Name a hunter who doesn't have more than one rifle. Name a boating enthusiast who doesn't have the latest and greatest boating gear? Name a fisherman(woman) who doesn't have a tackle box filled with lures, hooks, etc, when they can only use one at a time? A runner who has only 1 pair of running shoes? Name a quilter or one who does other sewing and doesn't have a little extra fabric from the last few projects plus that bought (usually on sale) for the next? The point is that no matter your hobby or choice of activity to do in your free time, no one should take it upon themselves to find an angle to prove running in marathons, biking, crocheting or whatever is to be considered a bad thing when it allows us to be relieved of the stress of every day life. The article seems to be pointing to a AA-type meeting to 'fix' what we are using as a 'fix' to reduce our stress level. If you are not murdering people for money for drugs, not paying your bills and losing your home, not feeding or caring for your children - in other words, doing others or society harm, I say 'butt the Hell out'...........I have yarn to buy!


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## tdorminey (Mar 22, 2011)

One of our forum members has/had an avatar showing a cross-stitch samplar-type message saying:

"I knit....so I don't kill people." That sounds bright to me, not dark!


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## lizzie91001 (Aug 14, 2016)

AuntieLoof said:


> Some of the parallels it draws between drug lingo and K/C vocabulary stretch the concept at best: knitting needles are hardly comparable to hypodermic needles, and one reason some of us have felt compelled to hide our "stash" is a modern societal bias against the formerly esteemed "domestic arts" as being a "waste of time." In college back in the fifties, my professors allowed us to knit in class because they said it concentrated the attention and helped students listen and remember even better than note-taking did.


Yeah, I agree that the author tries a little too hard with the overlapping drug/knitting lingo. But I hide my stash not because I'm afraid of being labeled a time-waster, but rather because I'm a little ashamed of how much I spend on toshMoLight (my drug of choice).

About knitting in college classes: In one of her books, Miss Manners says that she herself knitted the same sweater in class through all her four years at Vassar. At graduation, she found that both the sweater and her education were somewhat smaller than she'd hoped for. I love Miss Manners!


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## AuntieLoof (Mar 23, 2017)

BeadsbyBeadz said:


> If you fall for what is in this article, no one should have a hobby of any type. No sewing, no flower gardening, no boating, no skiing, no painting, no anything............which begs the question..........exactly what was the point of this entire article? Unless the point was that we should have no discretionary free time when we aren't at work, working about our homes, taking care of children, attending to farm animals, etc..........then we aren't to sit and relax? read? what? The things that some go after to make anything positive into a negative to get their name on a medical paper or newspaper article is mind boggling. Name a hunter who doesn't have more than one rifle. Name a boating enthusiast who doesn't have the latest and greatest boating gear? Name a fisherman(woman) who doesn't have a tackle box filled with lures, hooks, etc, when they can only use one at a time? A runner who has only 1 pair of running shoes? Name a quilter or one who does other sewing and doesn't have a little extra fabric from the last few projects plus that bought (usually on sale) for the next? The point is that no matter your hobby or choice of activity to do in your free time, no one should take it upon themselves to find an angle to prove running in marathons, biking, crocheting or whatever is to be considered a bad thing when it allows us to be relieved of the stress of every day life. The article seems to be pointing to a AA-type meeting to 'fix' what we are using as a 'fix' to reduce our stress level. If you are not murdering people for money for drugs, not paying your bills and losing your home, not feeding or caring for your children - in other words, doing others or society harm, I say 'butt the Hell out'...........I have yarn to buy!


 :sm24: :sm24: :sm24: :sm24: :sm24:


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## charbaby (Mar 24, 2013)

I've lived with addiction to substances. Trust me, addiction to knitting is not life threatening or illegal. And given the sad state of insurance reimbursement in this country, you wouldn't get payment for even a skein of Redheart Super Saver out of your Blue Cross. I'll take knitting anyday!


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## t_venson (Oct 26, 2017)

lizzie91001 said:


> End up betting all my retirement check at casinos? Start smoking crack? I don't know, and I hope I never find out.


As someone who has lost whole paychecks in the casino, knitting and crocheting are becoming my replacement addiction. I consider it a positive, constructive replacement to my gambling. I have children and grandchildren who appreciate my projects no matter how bad I think they are.

Addictions are difficult. The financial costs can be high. The social costs can also be high. But we all manage the best we can. The analogies used in the article are weak at best. They could apply to so many other things.

Keep knitting, crocheting, sewing, reading, dancing etc. or whatever makes you happy.


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## Fialka (Mar 4, 2011)

BeadsbyBeadz said:


> If you fall for what is in this article, no one should have a hobby of any type. No sewing, no flower gardening, no boating, no skiing, no painting, no anything............which begs the question..........exactly what was the point of this entire article? Unless the point was that we should have no discretionary free time when we aren't at work, working about our homes, taking care of children, attending to farm animals, etc..........then we aren't to sit and relax? read? what? The things that some go after to make anything positive into a negative to get their name on a medical paper or newspaper article is mind boggling. Name a hunter who doesn't have more than one rifle. Name a boating enthusiast who doesn't have the latest and greatest boating gear? Name a fisherman(woman) who doesn't have a tackle box filled with lures, hooks, etc, when they can only use one at a time? A runner who has only 1 pair of running shoes? Name a quilter or one who does other sewing and doesn't have a little extra fabric from the last few projects plus that bought (usually on sale) for the next? The point is that no matter your hobby or choice of activity to do in your free time, no one should take it upon themselves to find an angle to prove running in marathons, biking, crocheting or whatever is to be considered a bad thing when it allows us to be relieved of the stress of every day life. The article seems to be pointing to a AA-type meeting to 'fix' what we are using as a 'fix' to reduce our stress level. If you are not murdering people for money for drugs, not paying your bills and losing your home, not feeding or caring for your children - in other words, doing others or society harm, I say 'butt the Hell out'...........I have yarn to buy!


 I am totally with you on this one ! Grate minds think alike ! 
:sm24: :sm09: :sm24: :sm17:


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## lobsterlice (Oct 13, 2012)

Some people just can't stand to see others happy. Knitting makes me happy and I help out a lot of people with my knitting. How many people is this author helping with his negativity on a great hobby?


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## bundyanne07 (Aug 24, 2014)

I feel that anything we chose to do each and every day could become addictive - even looking at the new KP posts each morning as I do.

I don't think I'm addicted to anything in particular and it doesn't worry me if I don't knit all the time, or cook all the time, or read all the time etc etc.


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## lainey_h (Dec 14, 2013)

charbaby said:


> I've lived with addiction to substances. Trust me, addiction to knitting is not life threatening or illegal. And given the sad state of insurance reimbursement in this country, you wouldn't get payment for even a skein of Redheart Super Saver out of your Blue Cross. I'll take knitting anyday!


Truer words were never spoken! You can hardly get payment for doctor visits...


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## lainey_h (Dec 14, 2013)

bundyanne07 said:


> I feel that anything we chose to do each and every day could become addictive - even looking at the new KP posts each morning as I do.
> 
> I don't think I'm addicted to anything in particular and it doesn't worry me if I don't knit all the time, or cook all the time, or read all the time etc etc.


Completely agree. It's an interesting view of our hobby, but I don't apologize to anyone for it.


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## Augustgran (Apr 16, 2011)

Read it all and it seems like the author of this piece of work , would find bird watching an addiction.
Sorry it just read like a bunch of random anecdotes, trying to make a big deal out of women knitting.
Seriously did he get frightened by his granny's knitting needles?
I knit because I enjoy it, if someone else finds it an addiction? Tough noggies.


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## charbaby (Mar 24, 2013)

Augustgran said:


> Read it all and it seems like the author of this piece of work , would find bird watching an addiction.
> Sorry it just read like a bunch of random anecdotes, trying to make a big deal out of women knitting.
> Seriously did he get frightened by his granny's knitting needles?
> I knit because I enjoy it, if someone else finds it an addiction? Tough noggies.


I agree with you. He is apparently conditioned to find the problem, not the benefit of any activity. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that he is unable to even name his favorite color. Might be pathological. Good grief.


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## flhusker (Feb 17, 2011)

A bunch of baloney. I knit for several reasons and mostly because it's relaxing and enjoyable.

Also, it helps me to deal with my hubbys cancer issues. When we were going through all the messiness of the cost of medication and what to do. It helped me tremendously to pick up my knitting needles and relax.

If this makes me an addict better this than many others I can name.


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## knitterlin (May 31, 2012)

As a mental health counselor with an addictions specialty and more than 20 experience working with tens of thousands of clients, I have never had a client lose their home, job, or family to a knitting addiction.


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## Conchalea (Dec 30, 2013)

I’m pretty sure I’m not addicted to yarn play. Unlike some of my friends, I don’t knit at all stoplights or at the movies. I also go days sometimes without knitting at all. My only concern is the yarn I’ve collected in the past year. Most of it is from the man who gives yarn to our group to use in charity knitting. I look at the amounts I have & feel a little anxious as to the amount of it. I almost feel obligated to use it, but there’s more than I can realistically use in a timely fashion. I do NOT want to slide over the line to being a hoarder of yarn rather than a collector!


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## susanmjackson (Feb 7, 2011)

Interesting article.


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## YarnCreations (Feb 18, 2017)

I found the article interesting, but that's all. It's just one point of view. I've knitted for over 40 years and it's one of the main things that got me through a really bad time in my life a couple of years ago. Knitting is now very important to my well-being, and even though other things claim my time and attention I try to knit every day.


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## norma goodrich (Dec 31, 2013)

I love knitting and crochet and anytime free i used to do it...but i stop to go to walk couple of miles every day...I think to be seat for long time is no good for my legs specially when i have blood clot condition...


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## Cherspradlin (Nov 4, 2015)

I feel quite certain there are knitters/crocheters/runners etc who overdo their Hobby, especially those unfortunate people with “addictive personalities”. But this guy seems to put down everyone who isn’t him.

We all know the positive benefits from knitting, or whatever we do outside of making a living. Some of us spend more time or money occasionally. But most of us IMHO craft in moderation, which is the key to all things. 

So I’ll just go back to my motto: Happy Knitting! And don’t let the obviously envious make you feel bad!


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## ElyseKnox (Sep 16, 2011)

WELL PUT!



AuntieLoof said:


> It is interesting, but I consider that it somewhat twists definitions and terms. The article concedes that knitting and crochet are positive, constructive, stress-relieving, serotonin-stimulating, health-enhancing activities that can replace harmful addictions, and then goes on to criticize them simply for their "addictive" quality. Some of the parallels it draws between drug lingo and K/C vocabulary stretch the concept at best: knitting needles are hardly comparable to hypodermic needles, and one reason some of us have felt compelled to hide our "stash" is a modern societal bias against the formerly esteemed "domestic arts" as being a "waste of time." In college back in the fifties, my professors allowed us to knit in class because they said it concentrated the attention and helped students listen and remember even better than note-taking did. [The only prohibition was to never drop needles; that would have been distracting.] The author seems to be trying to force a far-fetched dark-side interpretation without sufficient evidence or credibility, or am I trying too hard to defend my creative and meditative sanity-keeper? Anyway, I am surely older than the writer of the article, so I claim the privilege of seniority.


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## ElyseKnox (Sep 16, 2011)

"He is apparently conditioned to find the problem, not the benefit of any activity." - Exactly.



charbaby said:


> I agree with you. He is apparently conditioned to find the problem, not the benefit of any activity. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that he is unable to even name his favorite color. Might be pathological. Good grief.


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## Bonidale (Mar 26, 2011)

An interesting article. Thanks for posting.


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## chemknitter (Feb 5, 2014)

JTM said:


> Personally, I think that a Knitting Addiction is a very positive thing... nothing dark about it, unless of course you are knitting with black yarn.


 :sm24: :sm24: :sm24:


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## alexdoc (Feb 11, 2016)

Much better than a lot of other addictions!


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## verwin (Jan 30, 2015)

charbaby said:


> I've lived with addiction to substances. Trust me, addiction to knitting is not life threatening or illegal. And given the sad state of insurance reimbursement in this country, you wouldn't get payment for even a skein of Redheart Super Saver out of your Blue Cross. I'll take knitting anyday!


Oh, boy! I hear ya! Substance addiction is it's own wild beast! Knitting 'addiction' is a kitty cat comparatively. And lets not forget that there's a difference between addiction and an obsession. If anything someone from the outside might say I'm obsessed with knitting. But I would beg to differ. I just try to learn all I can about knitting. And I want it done right when I do it. If I'm going to put as much time and money into something (both of which I have little extra) it had better be right. Especially if I'm giving it away. So if I need to take it apart a number of times and take forever to do it than that is just how it has to be. I'm not obsessed or a perfectionist. I just want a fine final product.


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## MindyT (Apr 29, 2011)

Auntieloof: Ditto
Nothing dark about it. Now if one is buying yarn instead of groceries, that would be a problem. But with all the talk of food and reciepes on our KP site, no fear of that hapening!!
I love Miss Manners as well and wouldn't we have guessed she went to Vassar! I'll be in my yoga class with a woman from Radcliff at 8:30. 
Those 7 sisters get around don't they?!


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## kathycapp (Sep 22, 2014)

Interesting, but I'm not convinced entertaining knitting as a legit addiction carries any weight. The few examples of those who couldn't control continuous spending on yarn or their "impulse" to knit have issues unrelated to knitting, IMHO. Thanks for posting...


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## Madelyn (Aug 16, 2014)

Hmmmmm!


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## tobo11 (Apr 1, 2017)

It's an addiction if it interferes with every day life. If so, it's not the knitting that's the problem, something is wrong with the knitter's brain (OCD?). Knitting kept me sane after my husband and daughter died and I love it and will not stop.


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## BlueBerry36 (Mar 10, 2016)

I'm going to continue knitting and crochet and all of the above.Differently interesting an I think totally off the wall in some ways. Comparing drug needles to knitting needles or etc...


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## PhoenixFire (Feb 26, 2014)

knitterlin said:


> As a mental health counselor with an addictions specialty and more than 20 experience working with tens of thousands of clients, I have never had a client lose their home, job, or family to a knitting addiction.


i love this comment so much. <3

myself, i have to have some kind of creative outlet. one of my friends (a guitarist) once thanked his audience saying, "if i couldn't play, i would just strangle and die."

there was one long, dark, horrible stretch of life when i MADE NOTHING. i didn't write, draw, paint, sew, knit, crochet, embroider, hook (as in rugs), or any other creative thing. it was an awful time in my life. once i clawed out of the darkness, i started making things again. one day, i looked back and said, "OMG. i didn't make even one thing back then." it is almost a chicken-and-egg question: did i make nothing because i was so distressed, or was i so distressed because i was making nothing? i think it was probably the first rather than the second, because of events in my life.

but just to keep safe, i keep knitting. and crocheting. and drawing. and, and, and.


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## Shylinn (Mar 19, 2014)

ooookaaay. Sounds like this guy was addicted to research!


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## Torticollus (Dec 3, 2011)

You cannot get good at anything if you do not do it. When I was 20, I figured it would take 50 years to be a good knitter. I am now 70 and have achieved that. There is a lot of satisfaction in that.


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## patocenizo (Jun 24, 2011)

Just read to DH. Okay so I am sort of addicted. Tough taco!


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## dhendrix (Jul 26, 2011)

Read the entire article ... very interesting and factual...gives us pause to think about our behaviors. Thank you for sharing.


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## wolfey9 (Aug 17, 2011)

I would rather be addicted to knitting than my cell phone. There are people in my family who can no longer make eye contact with you when they talk because they always have to keep one eye on their phone. I can knit and make eye contact with people while I talk with them. I used to work on a child psych unit and that was one of the important things we taught them about communication. Get someone's attention, make eye contact with them and then talk to them.


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## mkahl (Aug 5, 2013)

I agree, I can't find the point to the article either, guess they have nothing else to study, LOL!


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## Gweneth 1946 (May 20, 2012)

Interesting but I don't knit enough to say I am addicted. If we have many different activities that we do in a day ,and most women do, then are a well rounded person.


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## lainey_h (Dec 14, 2013)

kathycapp said:


> Interesting, but I'm not convinced entertaining knitting as a legit addiction carries any weight. The few examples of those who couldn't control continuous spending on yarn or their "impulse" to knit have issues unrelated to knitting, IMHO. Thanks for posting...


Agree. If it wasn't knitting related spending,it would most likely be some other expenditures...


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## cat_woman (Sep 21, 2014)

It is an interesting article and if anything to be gained from it, it made us look at how we value this craft in our lives. I personally think the author either doesn't understand or intentionally blurrs the line between hobby and obsession/addiction. Maybe just to get a rise out of people and to gain some notoriety. This has been my hobby/past time for about 50 years and at points it was all consuming, especially at Christmas when I put unbelievable pressure on myself to crank out all those projects, but thankfully I don't think I have crossed over to the dark side.....yet!


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## crochetknit Deb (Sep 18, 2012)

I used to crochet while waiting for my group therapy sessions. One older woman always made snide remarks about it.
She brought it up during one therapy session. Others told her to stop. She said no, she was in her right to complain.
Another member said it's in the waiting room, not in here.
I said thank you, mind if I start doing it now? The others said no, go ahead. The old gal was not pleased.
So I crocheted only for that session, but continued in the waiting room.


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## BeadsbyBeadz (Dec 19, 2012)

crochetknit Deb said:


> I used to crochet while waiting for my group therapy sessions. One older woman always made snide remarks about it.
> She brought it up during one therapy session. Others told her to stop. She said no, she was in her right to complain.
> Another member said it's in the waiting room, not in here.
> I said thank you, mind if I start doing it now? The others said no, go ahead. The old gal was not pleased.
> So I crocheted only for that session, but continued in the waiting room.


It's been my experience in a long life that some people can't stand to see anyone else happy .... because they aren't.


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## lizzie91001 (Aug 14, 2016)

BeadsbyBeadz said:


> It's been my experience in a long life that some people can't stand to see anyone else happy .... because they aren't.


I dunno. I'm a pretty happy person, but I do find some people's behaviors annoying. Compulsive phone-checking/texting is one of them. Of course, I'm completely in favor of everyone knitting and crocheting anywhere, anytime... but then I'm an addict, and I appreciate being around like-minded addicts.


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## Crespie (Feb 13, 2015)

Yep I too an addicted if that can be said, honestly if the mobile phone comes out ....used to look something up....I am not concerned if it is to answer or make a phone call. But all this looking at, looking for...just to see something drives me mad. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME KNITTING. ( I don't have any noise coming from my needles). Keep twisting yarn. Jo


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## coal cracker (Jul 15, 2016)

to the author I say--Hogwash!


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## Hannelore (Oct 26, 2011)

I think I will just continue with my drug of choice. At least I am not harming myself or any one else and I don't need to break into houses or rob anyone to feed my habit. Also at the end of it I have something to show for my time. I don't think knitting has a dark side unless you call knitting with dark yarn, a dark side. :sm17:


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## sbeth53 (Mar 29, 2011)

Personally I do not consider my knitting an addiction...for me it is an escape from my very stressful work environment. While my yarn buying habit MAY be considererd a addiction...I consider it an investment in my future. When i retire I will have enough stash to fill my needs until I can readjust to my new life :sm02:


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## peppered (May 16, 2014)

bundyanne07 said:


> I feel that anything we chose to do each and every day could become addictive - even looking at the new KP posts each morning as I do.
> 
> I don't think I'm addicted to anything in particular and it doesn't worry me if I don't knit all the time, or cook all the time, or read all the time etc etc.


Perfectly said!
No worries on my side either.


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## TexasT (Apr 27, 2011)

I have to crochet or knit daily. Have to keep busy and it relaxes me


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## TexasT (Apr 27, 2011)

I have to crochet or knit daily. Have to keep busy and it relaxes me


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

lainey_h said:


> Just saw this today, and I think it's kind of interesting. Not that I'll stop knitting or anything drastic like that......
> 
> https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/in-excess/201701/excessive-knitting-and-addiction


Thank you for posting that!

It may be too late for me though. :sm17:


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

Kansas g-ma said:


> Interesting article. It seems one of the more desirable addictions if it is kept under a bit of control-- no spending whole paycheck on yarn so you can't pay rent or buy groceries. I'd admit an addiction, always knitting, but also find it helps keep hands working. When I've not knit for a few days because of another required activity, my hands really cause problems. *My hands need at least 2 hours of knitting each day.*


In which case, you might consider asking your doctor to prescribe - in writing - those two hours a day of knitting! :sm15:


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

What got my goat about that author's blathering is that he never once even _suggested_ that there are men who knit. Are women knitting somehow different from men knitting? 
Do male knitters have no collections of yarns for future projects or just because it was too attractive to leave on the shelf/in the sales bin? 
Do male knitters have no aggregations of knitting needles, patterns, and notions such as female yarn-players do? 
I doubt it.


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## lainey_h (Dec 14, 2013)

Jessica-Jean said:


> What got my goat about that author's blathering is that he never once even _suggested_ that there are men who knit. Are women knitting somehow different from men knitting?
> Do male knitters have no collections of yarns for future projects or just because it was too attractive to leave on the shelf/in the sales bin?
> Do male knitters have no aggregations of knitting needles, patterns, and notions such as female yarn-players do?
> I doubt it.


They most certainly do! I went into a yarn store during a yarn crawl, and the sales ladies were giggling. It turns that a man had just left who asked them to put his yarn in an opaque bag. When asked why, he said that if his wife caught him bringing more yarn home she'd keep strangle him!


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## Country Living (Oct 3, 2012)

Always seems there is one who enjoys causing problems... usually some one who does not have any thing to do but to bother others... often the school room bully ... or jealous of others but never uses efforts on their own ... shall I stop? NO NO Keep doing what ever makes me happy and does not harm others..


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## crochetknit Deb (Sep 18, 2012)

Country Living said:


> Always seems there is one who enjoys causing problems... usually some one who does not have any thing to do but to bother others... often the school room bully ... or jealous of others but never uses efforts on their own ... shall I stop? NO NO Keep doing what ever makes me happy and does not harm others..


If we shun those who like to cause problems, maybe they'll grow up to have a big red button


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## Sftflannelnjeans (Mar 11, 2016)

To quote " Mama" on the old tv show, " Mama's Family"....." Well, for heaven sake" ---- why would
anyone do that".? Trying to put a dark.slant on Something as wholesome as knitting.


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## martyr (Feb 15, 2011)

Shylinn said:


> ooookaaay. Sounds like this guy was addicted to research!


Well yes, in that his standing and job depend on it. Publish or perish! Having worked in academic medical settings, and read professional journals for years, there are good articles and poor articles. Psychology Today is not an academic journal - and my guess is the title did not come from the author.

The article states that knitting is a positive addition, and can be used therapeutically. There is an exploration of "is knitting a true addiction". Which by the way didn't really have much of a conclusion. Makes me wonder if this is excerpted from a larger work. How many topics have we had about stash - we wonder about it ourselves, but know that [Hoarding] is not due to "knitting" but more to our own quirks, shortcomings, and anxieties. Knitting and yarn acquisition is soothing and an indulgence for me, and I have bigger messes than my yarn stash!

Thanks for the sharing the article. :sm08:


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## lainey_h (Dec 14, 2013)

martyr said:


> Well yes, in that his standing and job depend on it. Publish or perish! Having worked in academic medical settings, and read professional journals for years, there are good articles and poor articles. Psychology Today is not an academic journal - and my guess is the title did not come from the author.
> 
> The article states that knitting is a positive addition, and can be used therapeutically. There is an exploration of "is knitting a true addiction". Which by the way didn't really have much of a conclusion. Makes me wonder if this is excerpted from a larger work. How many topics have we had about stash - we wonder about it ourselves, but know that [Hoarding] is not due to "knitting" but more to our own quirks, shortcomings, and anxieties. Knitting and yarn acquisition is soothing and an indulgence for me, and I have bigger messes than my yarn stash!
> 
> Thanks for the sharing the article. :sm08:


Thanks for your thoughts, it's an interesting slant on the article.


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