Uptown residents partake in generations-old hobby with a goal in mind

By Dave Fidlin | SDUN Reporter

Lisa Thurn has long practiced meditation and enjoyed the generations-old pastime of knitting. But until recently, she never thought the two regular lifestyle regimens could be woven together.

Thurn is one of several Uptown residents using knitting as a means to crochet and calm her mind through a growing movement involving contemplative meditation. As with many practices, namely yoga, knitting and spirituality can be intertwined as a meaningful discipline that can help a person focus on their thinking.

“I’ve been a knitter most of my life; it’s just been something that keeps my hands busy, and I enjoy making things for other people,” said Thurn, who works in the biology department at San Diego State University.
“I’ve also enjoyed meditation because it calms my mind.”

Thurn was one of about a dozen participants in a recent class, Intentional Knitting, offered through First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego. She said she will be applying the techniques to her lifestyle.

“I used to watch TV while I knitted, but I think I’m going to stop doing that,” Thurn said. “I’ve found that doing something as simple as counting the stitches is very calming for me. It’s an opportunity to empty my mind, and that’s a very freeing feeling.”

Liz Jones, Director of Religious Education and Family Ministry at First Unitarian, offered the Intentional Knitting course earlier this month. Although it was a one-time offering, Jones said the possibility is open to its return next year, likely in the summer.

A number of books are available for those who would like to implement intentional knitting into their lives until a decision about the class returning is made.

“Knitting really is a perfect spiritual discipline that is ideal for meditation,” Jones said. “We always think about yoga, but knitting works just as well because it quiets the mind and engages the body.”

For persons with limited mobility, Jones said a practice such as knitting is an ideal means of forgetting one’s cares for a period of time.

Uptown resident Bobbi Beer, 71, is not an experienced knitter, but took Jones’ course because she has long studied meditation and various forms of spirituality. Beer has scoliosis, a curvature in her spine, making a traditional form of meditation challenging.

“This is very helpful to me,” Beer said. “I think it would be a great benefit not just to disabled individuals, but anybody.” Beer, who has a background in occupational therapy, said the art of tuning out distractions is important in her profession.

“I seem to deal with something that a lot of Americans struggle with,” Beer said. “My mind is full of chatter because I’m inundated with so much stuff every day. It’s like I have two radios turned on all the time, and they’re tuned to different stations. That is the way my mind is operating most of the time.”

Despite scoliosis, Beer said she is committed to taking time out each day and tuning out the distractions through a method that works for her. She is currently working on a scarf.

“Since I’m new to this, I’m making mistakes,” Beer said. “But you know what? Mistakes are okay because that’s not really the point of this. I’m going to take a half-hour every morning and spend time meditating through knitting. If I don’t do that, the cares of the day will rush in.”

Regardless of the purpose, Jones said knitting through a meditative, spirit-minded lens can reap great benefits for people willing to make the practice a part of their daily lifestyle. Other example of knitting with a purpose could include creating a blanket for rescued animals at shelters or a “Linus Blanket” that could be given to an organization and eventually given to a child in distress as a means of comfort.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to pray for and think about others,” Jones said. “We can share love through the act of knitting.”

For people engaged in social justice, knitting can also be a therapeutic—and meaningful—method for expressing the passion behind the cause.

Uptown resident Patricia Christenson has found a renewed purpose for her mission-driven hobby. In the past four years, Christenson has been knitting caps for Yayasan Bumi Sehat, a nonprofit, Indonesia-based organization aiming to meet the needs of mothers and infants in the country.

“When I’m knitting, I can sit and think about the baby who will get the chance to have the cap I’m creating,” Christenson said. “I meditate and think about how I hope the baby receiving it will have a long and happy life.”

Christenson lived in Indonesia for a period of time and routinely visited the country as a child. She plans to visit Yayasan Bumi Sehat and other areas of the country during a travel scheduled for this fall.

“I have a very deep connection to that part of the world,” Christenson said. “Knitting and meditating makes it all the more meaningful to me.”

Jones said, “It reminds all of us that there’s a larger purpose behind what we’re doing.