Mindful Knitting: Inviting Contemplative Practice to the Craft

by Tara Jon Manning, Bill Manning (Photographs)

Author Tara Jon Manning, a noted knitwear designer and practicing Buddhist, explores the spiritual rewards of Kitting: Bring inner serenity to your knitting practice--and everyday activities. Ten original and enjoyable knitting projects--each complemented by a meditation exercise.

Genres: Knitting, Nonfiction, Crafts, Reference, Philosophy

136 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[MK]

Notes:
Commonalities between practicing mindfulness and actions of knitting:
-both require light attention to the environment
-both allow the mind to rest
-both have a natural object of focus that contributes a rhythmic quality to the experience

Mindfulness simply means engaging in what is happening from moment-to-moment, allowing ourselves to be aware of what is occurring in our minds and in our surroundings without judgement or interpretation--simply as an onlooker.

Mindful activities provide the circumstances for our minds to rest in the present

-avoid "thinking"
instinctively use the sounds around you, the feeling of the yarn, the way the chair you are sitting in feels, to bring you back to what is literally at hand.

-the warrior's gentle heart
heart of generosity is considered the warriors heart (at odds with western notions of "warriors")
hear that opens and expands, connects us with joy and suffering. these elements combine to allow us to feel true compassion.

natural tendency may be to close up this kind of heart. challenge is working directly with that which our minds might deem undesirable or painful. the warrior finds bravery in his or her direct relationship with what is happening

[Janice]

A little granola, but has some good information and some good patterns to practice as you are learning. I do liked the relaxed feeling about it all.

[VJ]

Easy suggestions for meditative practice while knitting. Good projects that build skills as you progress through the book.

Plan to buy this one for my library.

[Mckinley]

Lovely idea. Has mediation practices and knitting patterns.

[Carole Thompson]

Early on in learning to knit, I bought Mindful Knitting. I'm a reader of Buddhist literature, so I was already familiar with mindfulness as a way of looking, learning, and believing in the beauty of the moment. That is so true in knitting. Enjoying your stitches and seeing your project unfold. This book takes you on the Mindfulness journey while you are knitting and how to approach your learning and selecting projects. The book has suggested projects to get you started. There are a lot of "helps" for the beginning and seasoned knitter. There are charts as well as written directions. It was good to go back and read through the text and look at the projects.
Happy Knitting!!

[Helynne]

As one who enjoys needlework as well as the philosophy of mindful meditation, I felt I was a natural for this book, and I found it visually pleasing as well as enjoyable and practical. Author Tara Jon Manning grew up in Boulder, Colorado, as a student of the dharma (the teachings of the Buddha) and she is also a lifelong knitter. She begins with some simple instructions on basic meditation, then shares some thoughts about how knitting can be a meditative act simply by the knitter becoming more aware of the process. "Being in the moment is related to process. Knitting provides its practitioners with a unique vehicle for engaging in process--to focus on what is happening now, stitch by stitch, without being edgy about getting it done" (19). Among her thoughts on meditation and knitting, Manning provides several uncomplicated projects, most of which are easy enough for beginners--pot holders, scarves, an afghan, sweater, a baby layette. She urges readers/knitters to keep "adding to their tool boxes" more sophisticated tools and skills--or simply to make "wee little hats for new babies at the hospital," if that is all one wishes for the rest of one's knitting career. In any case, this book has a gentle, inspirational feel to it. [As an aside, I was impressed recently with an article I read that said, according to the American Geriatric Association, there is 60 percent less dementia among people over age 65 who knit. Pretty cool!:]

[Joan]

This was a very helpful book. Work is currently very very hectic, busy, disorganized and hard to keep up with. ('how do you really feel' you might ask?) One escape that helps me escape is knitting and this very simple, step-by-step book has really helped. Written in 2 parts, the first of which captures the essence of the practice of mindful knitting. Chapter 1 describes basic steps to mindfulness meditation. Chapter 2 discusses knitting as medication, then the subsequent chapters expand from simply knitting to 'simple pleasures', 'connecting to the world' and 'onward and upward' as one starts with the simplest of knitting projects - a garter stitch scarf to a set of wash clothes of a variety of stitches and textures to blankets and baby garments. I've gone beyond applying the techniques to knitting and am now being more mindful while I'm running and even when I'm participating in teleconferences at work.

A most helpful book! There are better books on the technical aspects of knitting, but this book does a nice job of matching projects to a particular aspect of mindfulness meditation.

[Lisa]

I got this as a freebie from my yarn store. Although the parts about Shambhala meditation were similar to those I've read of Pema Chodron (and indeed, the author cites Chodron as a reference), and the knitting patterns look enticing enough for me to try to knit, I just wasn't fully convinced of melding the two together after reading this book. Certainly, knitting has the possibilities of being contemplative and meditative if you're able to stay "in the moment" but I didn't find this book to say anything new or enlightening. I found Zen and the Art of Knitting to be more inspirational.

I'm going to keep this book to try some of the patterns, though.

[Erin]

I found this to be similar to The Knitting Way but more succinct, weighing in at only 136 pages. Tara Jon Manning explores how knitting can help one practice the buddhist meditative approach known as mindfulness. This makes perfect sense, considering the quiet, contemplative nature of the activity. This books sheds light on why so many knitters describe knitting as a soothing, comforting pastime. More discussion on how a state of mindfulness relates to creativity would be interesting.

[Artemisia Hunt]

This book combined two things that I've been practicing for years.....hand knitting and mindfulness meditation. Both have been important practices for me and this was the first knitting book I've found that explores the meditative quality of handwork with the kind of depth this one does. I loved all the patterns included too, for their simple elegance and usefulness. I'm looking forward to enjoying this lovely volume further as I make up some of these projects myself.

[Apryl Anderson]

Simple, no-stress projects to keep the hands moving and may your thoughts follow. As I'm not part of this culture, the whole mindful lingo feels forced to my ears (or eyes, rather). Okay, my being. I thoroughly agree that the peaceful repetition of stitches invites meditation and all good things, so I don't know what I expected in the reading.

[E]

A good idea for a book, but the patterns are very uninspiring. Could be a good introduction to mindfulness meditation or for a new knitter but nothing new or groundbreaking for someone who is already familiar with these skills.

[Karen]

Prompted by a dear friend to try all things knitting, this beautiful book is a practice unto itself.

[Martha]

boring

[Jan]

This book has some nice patterns and advice for using knitting as a type of meditation. Try it if you like your knitting with a New Age twist.

[Megan]

It was nice.

[Lorraine]

beautiful book recommend