Looking for men who knit – and men who want to learn!
Men, young and old, are encouraged to take part in the making of a knitted art installation of small knitted samplers on the theme of war and peace which will be sewn together to form a large wall hanging and displayed at The Goulburn Regional Art Gallery in April, 2015 as part of the Anzac Centenary.
This ‘men only’ knitting project commemorates the soldiers who served in World War I and it assists returned veterans who have been wounded, physically or psychologically in the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts.
Men who register for the project are asked to make a direct small discretionary donation to ‘Soldier On‘.
Studies have shown that knitting both concentrates and relaxes the mind, releasing serotonin and endorphins, thus creating a meditative state of mind. It was used widely as ‘occupational therapy’ for servicemen after the First and Second World Wars.
This project seeks to engage men in a therapeutic and creative knitting project whether they are high school boys who would like to learn to knit or young and older men dealing with various life issues of loneliness, depression, stress, isolation or chronic pain – or men who just want to develop their creativity.
Men can read much more about the project and the benefits of therapeutic knitting by going to the website where they can also register, print out the knitting instructions and watch short videos on learning how to knit.
Knitting is an easy to learn skill and one that was developed by men centuries ago when they were Master Knitters.
See the website for more information www.mensknittingproject.com.au or contact Kaye Healey, Coordinator at kayehealey@gmail.com or mobile 0408 67 55 36 .
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