Knitting saved my life with James McIntosh

TW: Homophobia, suicide and depression James McIntosh taught himself to knit with chopsticks and string when he had been so low in mood that he couldn't leave his bed. He now credits knitting with saving his life.See the transcript for this episode on the captivate playerJames is the owner of McIntosh yarn, see their websiteFollow James on Instagram: @knitmcintoshYarns, patterns and research discussed in this episode:Erika knight men’s knits Men'sKnits A New Direction by Erika Knight - Yarn etc...Pussy hat project (including the critique that it is not inclusive for all races and gender identities) Pussyhat - WikipediaInformation on mindfulness: Mindfulness- NHS (www.nhs.uk)Evidence on mindfulness for depression: mindfulness depression | Search results page 1 | Evidence search | NICERavelry: Hue Shift Afghan pattern by Kerin Dimeler-LaurenceBetsan Corkhill Stitchlinks.com-------------🧶 If you'd like to learn more about how to use knitting for your self-care, check out our course Self-Care One Stitch at a Time.🧶Catch up on our on-demand webinars: The Healing Power of Knitting where we take a deep dive into the mental health benefits of knittingUnravelling Burnout where we look at how we can use knitting as a tool to prevent burnoutKnitting for Attention and Focus. We explore how knitting and crochet can support concentration, attention and mindful awareness, particularly for people who struggle with restlessness, distractibility or overwhelm.Here's how to stay in touch:💌 Sign up to the Creative Restoration newsletter📲 Follow us on Instagram at @knittingistherapeutic and @drpaularedmondWhy I Knit Podcast disclaimerFor the purpose of this disclaimer ‘We’ refers to Dr Mia Hobbs and the ‘Why I Knit’ podcast.The views expressed in this podcast belong solely to the speaker and do not reflect the views of Dr Mia Hobbs.  The aim of the podcast is to explore the opinions and experiences of the interviewees and not to disseminate factual information. We take no responsibility for and do not verify any facts mentioned by interviewees on the podcast and assume no liability for any of the views or statements made by interviewees on the podcast. The podcast is designed for general use and is not designed to constitute professional advice or a professional service. We assume no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content of this podcast. The information contained in this site is provided oan "as is" basis with no guarantees of completeness, accuracy, usefulness or timeliness.The links to websites provided in the show notes are for information only and we assume no responsiblity for the websites accessed via these links. Mentioned in this episode:Join us to learn more about the mental health benefits of knitting!`We are running our popular webinar The Healing Power of Knitting on Tuesday 14th July 2026 at 7pm BST and we'd love you to join us. Click the link below to find out more: https://creativerestoration.podia.com/the-healing-power-of-knitting-live-webinar-july-2026How to support the podcastThank you so much for listening. If you value the podcast and would like to support it, here's how: 1. Sign up to our monthly newsletter here: https://creativerestoration.org/newsletter/ 2. If you've enjoyed the podcast please leave us a rating and a review to help others hear about it. 3. Please consider sharing the podcast on social media or send it to a friend who might enjoy it. Thank you so much for your support, we really appreciate it.