1 00:00:04,470 --> 00:00:07,110 Mia Hobbs: Hello and welcome back to series two of the Why I 2 00:00:07,110 --> 00:00:10,800 Knit podcast. My name is Dr Mia Hobbs and I'm a clinical 3 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:13,740 psychologist who's passionate about knitting and its benefits 4 00:00:13,740 --> 00:00:17,430 for our mental wellbeing. Each episode I interview a different 5 00:00:17,430 --> 00:00:20,490 knitter about why they knit and how it benefits their mental 6 00:00:20,490 --> 00:00:24,030 health. This week on the podcast, I'm joined by Nasreen 7 00:00:24,060 --> 00:00:28,200 Imrit, also known as @sewcraftynaz on Instagram. 8 00:00:28,710 --> 00:00:32,940 Nasreen is quite a new knitter but an experienced crocheter and 9 00:00:32,940 --> 00:00:34,230 sewer and multicrafter. 10 00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:39,750 Hi, Nasreen. Welcome to the podcast. 11 00:00:39,750 --> 00:00:42,450 Nasreen Imrit: Hi, Mia. Thank you for inviting me on to the 12 00:00:42,450 --> 00:00:43,350 podcast. 13 00:00:43,470 --> 00:00:46,950 Mia Hobbs: You're very welcome. I'm delighted to have you! So 14 00:00:46,980 --> 00:00:53,070 you are a multicrafter? And a relatively new knitter, is that 15 00:00:53,070 --> 00:00:53,430 right? 16 00:00:54,050 --> 00:00:58,670 Nasreen Imrit: Yes, that's right. My crafting journey 17 00:00:58,790 --> 00:01:02,240 probably started when I was about 11/12, so starting 18 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:06,290 secondary school and doing Textiles, which was known as 19 00:01:06,290 --> 00:01:11,600 Home Economics at the time. We had to make these aprons for the 20 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:14,600 next module, which was going to be Cookery. So we had to start 21 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:17,180 embroidering, to embroider something on the little pocket. 22 00:01:17,690 --> 00:01:22,580 So that's how I discovered thread, and then started to do a 23 00:01:22,580 --> 00:01:26,480 hand embroidery, and I really, really enjoyed it. And then I 24 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:29,720 think my dad noticed and was like, "Oh, what's this?" and I 25 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:33,020 said, "Oh, we have to embroider this thing", and then he... So 26 00:01:33,020 --> 00:01:35,510 my mum passed away when I was really little, when I was five, 27 00:01:35,960 --> 00:01:41,330 and she enjoyed crochet. She made mostly doilies and I think 28 00:01:41,330 --> 00:01:44,300 she made a couple of shawls, so my father kept all those things 29 00:01:44,300 --> 00:01:48,380 for when myself and my sister would be a bit older; we might 30 00:01:48,380 --> 00:01:53,690 be interested. So that's how I discovered yarn and crochet. And 31 00:01:53,750 --> 00:01:59,240 at the time, obviously there was the books that she had, and I 32 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:02,900 just picked up whatever crochet hooks she had, which were really 33 00:02:02,900 --> 00:02:05,540 small ones because she was making more doilies and really 34 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:06,260 fine lace things. 35 00:02:06,290 --> 00:02:08,330 Mia Hobbs: So was she using thread more than yarn? 36 00:02:08,330 --> 00:02:12,830 Nasreen Imrit: Yeah, she actually had some fingering yarn 37 00:02:12,830 --> 00:02:16,790 as well. And then I just picked it up and I thought, "Let's just 38 00:02:16,790 --> 00:02:21,140 try this". And I remember the first things I made ended up 39 00:02:21,620 --> 00:02:24,020 being tiny beanies for my Barbie dolls. 40 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:25,700 Mia Hobbs: Okay, wow! 41 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:28,390 Nasreen Imrit: Because I didn't know how to increase so I just 42 00:02:28,390 --> 00:02:30,700 kept going in the round, so it became a little bowl. So I was 43 00:02:30,700 --> 00:02:34,510 like, "Well, that could be a good little hat for my dolls." 44 00:02:34,630 --> 00:02:39,400 So that's how I started to crochet. I made anything that 45 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:41,860 would work out through the bowl, because that's all I could do, 46 00:02:42,310 --> 00:02:42,670 little baskets... 47 00:02:42,670 --> 00:02:44,800 Mia Hobbs: Yeah, kids are so great at finding a use for 48 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:46,660 something. They've made something and they're going to 49 00:02:46,660 --> 00:02:49,120 turn it into a thing. I found that in my knitting groups, as 50 00:02:49,120 --> 00:02:52,120 well. They're really good at seeing the potential in 51 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:53,680 something that's an unusual shape. 52 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:57,560 Nasreen Imrit: Yeah they are, absolutely. And yeah, so that's 53 00:02:57,560 --> 00:03:01,130 how I started crochet, then dabbled in lots of little 54 00:03:01,130 --> 00:03:05,690 things, mostly cross stitch and embroidery. And then when I 55 00:03:05,690 --> 00:03:09,440 started having my children, I started to crochet again and do 56 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:15,140 blankets and hats and things. But I probably took it bit more 57 00:03:15,140 --> 00:03:21,110 seriously in the last few years, as the kids grew up a little. 58 00:03:22,850 --> 00:03:26,780 I've just always wanted to keep trying new crafts and keep 59 00:03:26,780 --> 00:03:33,080 trying new things. Cross stitch was a favourite for a while but 60 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:38,720 obviously the work's quite slow. And so then I discovered quicker 61 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:44,000 crafts, things like dot printing, screen printing (that 62 00:03:44,150 --> 00:03:49,010 was a fad for a little while), so really transforming tote bags 63 00:03:49,010 --> 00:03:53,270 and things like that. And then as I had children, they wanted 64 00:03:53,270 --> 00:03:57,290 to get involved. "Come on, I'm going to come into your craft 65 00:03:57,290 --> 00:03:59,900 room. What can I do?" And I'm like, "Oh, what can you do...? 66 00:04:01,130 --> 00:04:07,970 Don't touch anything!" (Laughs) So that's been quite interesting 67 00:04:07,970 --> 00:04:13,100 because it's helped me understand craft on many levels, 68 00:04:13,910 --> 00:04:17,300 in terms of doing it for myself and how do I connect my children 69 00:04:17,300 --> 00:04:22,070 with it. And so then obviously my next challenge was to learn 70 00:04:22,070 --> 00:04:28,880 to knit. And for me it was just seeing jumpers like yours, 71 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:32,000 constantly, on Instagram! And I was like, "I want to make this! 72 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:35,570 I want to make this!" And although with crochet you can 73 00:04:35,570 --> 00:04:39,230 kind of get a little bit close, you can't get that same effect 74 00:04:39,230 --> 00:04:40,220 that you get with knitting. 75 00:04:40,220 --> 00:04:42,170 Mia Hobbs: Yeah, it's the different kind of texture, I 76 00:04:42,170 --> 00:04:43,850 suppose, of the fabric, isn't it? 77 00:04:44,470 --> 00:04:46,570 Nasreen Imrit: So that was my main inspiration to learn to 78 00:04:46,570 --> 00:04:53,320 knit. And then I somehow, in one of those competitions they have 79 00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:56,320 in Instagram giveaways, won some circular needles and I was like, 80 00:04:56,620 --> 00:05:02,410 "Ooh, I must start using them!" And so I kind of fell in and out 81 00:05:02,410 --> 00:05:05,890 of love with it initially because I could do so many other 82 00:05:05,890 --> 00:05:09,670 things quicker. I could crochet quicker, I could sew quicker. 83 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:13,930 But when I did start it, I actually found it quite 84 00:05:13,930 --> 00:05:19,870 addictive because it was the use of both hands, which initially 85 00:05:19,870 --> 00:05:22,900 was challenging as I kept dropping the left needle quite a 86 00:05:22,900 --> 00:05:23,020 lot. 87 00:05:23,060 --> 00:05:25,460 Mia Hobbs: Because you're used to just having one implement. 88 00:05:25,930 --> 00:05:28,270 Nasreen Imrit: And I was like, "Oh no, oh no, oh no, I need to 89 00:05:28,270 --> 00:05:29,110 save the stitches!" 90 00:05:29,980 --> 00:05:32,162 Mia Hobbs: And I guess just one stitch, usually, with crochet as 91 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:34,490 Nasreen Imrit: That was it! You work stitch by stitch and you 92 00:05:32,204 --> 00:05:32,410 well. 93 00:05:34,490 --> 00:05:37,160 can stop your work, you can lose your crochet needle, it wouldn't 94 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:37,610 matter. 95 00:05:38,590 --> 00:05:42,070 Mia Hobbs: I always lose my crochet hook, just in the sofa! 96 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:45,370 When we take the sofa cushions off, there's always a crochet 97 00:05:45,370 --> 00:05:45,880 hook in there! 98 00:05:45,540 --> 00:05:49,042 Nasreen Imrit: Yeah, likewise. So I think that that initially 99 00:05:49,119 --> 00:05:53,611 felt a bit new to me, like, "Ooh, I can't just whip this up 100 00:05:53,687 --> 00:05:58,485 really quickly, I have to really sit down and concentrate." But 101 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:59,910 Mia Hobbs: Oh, great! 102 00:05:58,561 --> 00:06:03,206 once I kind of accepted it as a different craft - not because 103 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:02,554 Nasreen Imrit: It was a variegated yarn but I tried some 104 00:06:02,641 --> 00:06:07,929 colourwork with yellow, because I was like, "No no no, that's 105 00:06:03,282 --> 00:06:08,004 I'm a crocheter, I can just knit - I actually enjoyed it. So I 106 00:06:08,015 --> 00:06:12,957 where I'm going, I want to do colourwork." And I actually 107 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:12,725 would do it more to relax rather than to produce something. I 108 00:06:12,801 --> 00:06:17,294 made a phone sock as my first project, which I think I have 109 00:06:13,043 --> 00:06:18,072 really enjoyed it! But then again, with lots of WIPs going 110 00:06:17,370 --> 00:06:21,939 saved somewhere, with some scrap yarn, and I even tried some 111 00:06:18,158 --> 00:06:23,360 on, I thought, "Okay, I will pick that up at some point when 112 00:06:22,015 --> 00:06:23,310 colourwork on it. 113 00:06:23,446 --> 00:06:28,561 I've got time." But then my mother-in-law came to stay with 114 00:06:28,648 --> 00:06:34,196 us for a bit, to spend some time with us, and then she was like, 115 00:06:34,283 --> 00:06:39,398 "Ooh, I've always wanted to learn to knit." And I was like, 116 00:06:39,484 --> 00:06:45,033 "Okay, let's do it!" And we both sat down in front of the laptop 117 00:06:45,119 --> 00:06:50,494 with YouTube on, and she took to it really quickly. She made a 118 00:06:50,581 --> 00:06:55,782 mini thing, just garter stitch, that ended up being a little 119 00:06:55,869 --> 00:07:01,244 neck wrap that you could wear if you're cold around the house, 120 00:07:01,331 --> 00:07:06,532 and she really loved it. So I picked up knitting again, just 121 00:07:06,619 --> 00:07:12,080 to do it together with her, and thought I was gonna make myself 122 00:07:12,167 --> 00:07:17,195 a top. So that's still ongoing. I pick it up, put it down, 123 00:07:17,282 --> 00:07:22,657 depending on whether I just need something to relax and not to 124 00:07:22,743 --> 00:07:27,945 follow any pattern because it's just going to be a rectangle 125 00:07:28,032 --> 00:07:33,406 really. But yeah, it's a slow start but I'm learning to see it 126 00:07:33,493 --> 00:07:38,955 as very different from my other crafts that I do. I'm seeing it 127 00:07:39,041 --> 00:07:44,503 more like cross stitch: I know there's going to be an end but I 128 00:07:44,590 --> 00:07:49,791 enjoy just the bit that I'm doing at that time. I wasn't too 129 00:07:49,878 --> 00:07:55,426 sure about it to start with but I think it's growing on me quite 130 00:07:55,513 --> 00:07:56,120 nicely. 131 00:07:57,440 --> 00:07:59,060 Mia Hobbs: There's so much I want to ask you about what 132 00:07:59,060 --> 00:08:06,560 you've already said. You've had a slightly different journey to 133 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:09,980 many people because you've got quite good in other similar 134 00:08:09,980 --> 00:08:12,830 crafts that are similar but a bit different, and I wonder 135 00:08:12,830 --> 00:08:15,680 whether that just made you... Like, most new knitters wouldn't 136 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:20,060 even think about a colourwork sweater, probably, whereas I 137 00:08:20,060 --> 00:08:23,060 wonder whether you felt like you had this springboard and you 138 00:08:23,060 --> 00:08:26,750 almost had higher expectations of knitting to start with 139 00:08:26,750 --> 00:08:29,840 because you already were really good at crochet, for example, 140 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:33,350 and maybe that was a tricky experience! 141 00:08:32,399 --> 00:08:35,557 Nasreen Imrit: I think you're right because I started doing 142 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:46,290 Mia Hobbs: Oh, that's good! 143 00:08:35,629 --> 00:08:40,151 colourwork in crochet. There's a stitch that actually resembles 144 00:08:40,222 --> 00:08:44,242 knitting a bit, which is the centre stitch. So I started 145 00:08:44,314 --> 00:08:48,980 doing some colourwork in crochet and I really, really enjoyed it. 146 00:08:49,051 --> 00:08:53,214 And then I was like, "Ooh, now this is the next step", not 147 00:08:53,286 --> 00:08:57,521 actually really appreciating that it is actually a complete 148 00:08:57,593 --> 00:09:01,684 different skill. And I was like,"Yeah, if you can crochet 149 00:09:01,756 --> 00:09:05,704 you will be able to knit really quickly". On Instagram, 150 00:09:05,776 --> 00:09:09,724 obviously, I know a lot of crocheters-knitters and they 151 00:09:06,460 --> 00:09:34,840 Nasreen Imrit: I know! He's like, "Oh, you're knitting!" 152 00:09:09,796 --> 00:09:14,318 were like, "You'll be absolutely fine". And they've been really 153 00:09:14,389 --> 00:09:18,768 really helpful with pointing me in the right directions, what 154 00:09:18,840 --> 00:09:23,290 patterns to try first, etc. And I'm like, "No, I'm going for a 155 00:09:23,362 --> 00:09:27,669 colourwork sweater!" (Laughs) But then I thought no, maybe a 156 00:09:27,740 --> 00:09:32,191 hat, let's start with a hat. I think that that expectation was 157 00:09:32,262 --> 00:09:36,282 what probably set me back initially, because I was like, 158 00:09:36,354 --> 00:09:40,876 "It's yarn, it's two needles, I crochet, I should be able to do 159 00:09:37,660 --> 00:10:05,350 "Yes I am!" (Laughs) It's something that I'm going to 160 00:09:40,948 --> 00:09:45,326 it." But once I kind of set that aside, I realised actually I 161 00:09:45,398 --> 00:09:49,920 enjoyed it so much more, and I accepted it as its own craft, as 162 00:09:49,992 --> 00:09:54,442 its own skill. Even my husband can tell the difference between 163 00:09:54,514 --> 00:09:56,309 knitting and crochet now! 164 00:10:05,350 --> 00:10:09,340 develop more this year, I think. And yeah, let's watch this 165 00:10:09,340 --> 00:10:10,480 space, see what I make! 166 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:12,640 Mia Hobbs: And I'm interested in the idea that you might have 167 00:10:12,670 --> 00:10:17,920 different crafts that give you different things, like the idea 168 00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:20,920 of having some times where you might need something that feels 169 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:23,440 more relaxing, and it's okay for it to be slow. And maybe there 170 00:10:23,440 --> 00:10:26,680 are other times where you feel like, I need... I think you used 171 00:10:26,680 --> 00:10:29,800 the words "quick fix" just before we started recording. I'm 172 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:33,040 interested in hearing a bit more about that, like how you decide 173 00:10:33,430 --> 00:10:36,460 whether it's based on your mood, or what else is going on in your 174 00:10:36,460 --> 00:10:37,270 life or...? 175 00:10:38,260 --> 00:10:43,240 Nasreen Imrit: Yeah, so I find that each week, I need to make 176 00:10:43,240 --> 00:10:43,960 something. 177 00:10:45,880 --> 00:10:47,800 Mia Hobbs: Does it need to be finished, or just spend some 178 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:48,520 time making it? 179 00:10:48,520 --> 00:10:50,440 Nasreen Imrit: No, just spend some time making it, but at 180 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:57,940 least it's tangible. It's a tangible progress. I work part 181 00:10:57,940 --> 00:11:03,790 time, and the rest of the time is kids, etc. But then if I do 182 00:11:03,790 --> 00:11:06,430 make something or make progress on something, it makes me feel 183 00:11:06,430 --> 00:11:09,670 like, "Oh, yeah, I've done something for myself this week". 184 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:12,630 Mia Hobbs: So it feels like your thing, for you. 185 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:16,470 Nasreen Imrit: Yeah, it's my thing, for me. And sometimes 186 00:11:16,470 --> 00:11:23,130 with large projects, even though I've done two or three rows, it 187 00:11:23,130 --> 00:11:26,670 doesn't feel tangible because it's large, and it's going to be 188 00:11:26,670 --> 00:11:31,860 ages before it's finished. So I have little quick projects, like 189 00:11:31,890 --> 00:11:35,970 block printing which I quite like, and often, if I want to do 190 00:11:35,970 --> 00:11:39,780 that in an evening, my boys will always come in, "Can I try it?" 191 00:11:39,780 --> 00:11:41,700 And then they will use one of their old vests and they will 192 00:11:41,700 --> 00:11:44,100 join in and print their vests. 193 00:11:44,340 --> 00:11:45,240 Mia Hobbs: And how old are they? 194 00:11:45,900 --> 00:11:50,250 Nasreen Imrit: They're seven and four. They just want to spend 195 00:11:50,250 --> 00:11:53,910 that time, and then they will come in (and if one comes in, 196 00:11:53,910 --> 00:11:56,820 the other one will come in). And I was like, "Okay, well find 197 00:11:56,820 --> 00:12:00,780 some old vests and you can block print." And they block printed a 198 00:12:00,810 --> 00:12:06,780 couple of vests, it was quite funny. I always have some spare 199 00:12:06,780 --> 00:12:10,890 tote bags and scrap fabrics that are plain, so I'll block print 200 00:12:10,890 --> 00:12:15,990 them. If it's a tote bag, that will probably be gifted at some 201 00:12:15,990 --> 00:12:19,770 point. If it's a piece of fabric, then I know that I'll 202 00:12:19,770 --> 00:12:22,410 probably use it to make a little pouch for something. And then 203 00:12:22,410 --> 00:12:27,510 I'll be like, "Ooh, that feels finished." Or I will actually 204 00:12:27,510 --> 00:12:32,130 look up a pattern and choose yarn for it and put it 205 00:12:32,130 --> 00:12:35,340 separately so it'll make me feel like I've decided something or 206 00:12:35,340 --> 00:12:39,000 I've made something. So my quick crafts tend to be things (like 207 00:12:39,030 --> 00:12:44,640 with block printing) that are quite small, or I'll arrange all 208 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:47,250 my scraps to decide a project that I can use all my scraps 209 00:12:47,250 --> 00:12:51,750 for. Or sometimes I'll make things that are just squares, so 210 00:12:51,750 --> 00:12:54,750 crochet squares. If you made a square, that can take about 45 211 00:12:54,780 --> 00:12:58,410 minutes, and then feel like, "Okay, I've added another square 212 00:12:58,410 --> 00:13:04,620 to this project." So it would depend on the week that I've had 213 00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:07,830 as to whether I need my quick fix. If I know I won't have much 214 00:13:07,830 --> 00:13:11,250 time, got to wait in the car for somebody to finish something, 215 00:13:11,340 --> 00:13:13,800 I'll just do a quick thing and then I'll be like, "Yep! Done 216 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:15,450 it. I'm okay now." 217 00:13:16,170 --> 00:13:19,080 Mia Hobbs: Do you plan that quite deliberately, like to sit 218 00:13:19,080 --> 00:13:22,350 and think what do I need right now? Do I need to have something 219 00:13:22,350 --> 00:13:27,330 quick that I finish, or could I just do a couple of rounds on 220 00:13:27,330 --> 00:13:28,830 this knitted thing? 221 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:33,010 Nasreen Imrit: I do think about it deliberately a lot more now. 222 00:13:34,330 --> 00:13:38,590 When I used to work a lot more, I would find that the day that I 223 00:13:38,590 --> 00:13:43,990 was off I'd be floating about just kind of doing the things 224 00:13:43,990 --> 00:13:46,330 that needed to be done, and at the end of the day you just 225 00:13:46,330 --> 00:13:49,120 still feel mentally tired, even though you've achieved quite a 226 00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:53,290 lot. I wasn't consciously making time for that break, to think 227 00:13:53,290 --> 00:13:57,670 how do I break away from work and everything else. So now, 228 00:13:58,510 --> 00:14:01,990 towards the end of my working week (which is Wednesday) I will 229 00:14:01,990 --> 00:14:04,570 actually think during my lunch break, "Okay, what do I feel 230 00:14:04,570 --> 00:14:08,410 like this week?" and then I will know if I'm putting on too much, 231 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:10,780 "Okay, now I don't have to finish that, that can wait." So 232 00:14:10,780 --> 00:14:13,750 I will deliberately make myself think, "Okay, I'll probably try 233 00:14:13,750 --> 00:14:17,920 and finish a border on this. And actually, I'm not going to pick 234 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:20,470 up another new project, I'll try and finish this a little bit 235 00:14:20,470 --> 00:14:23,500 longer. I'm a bit bored with this. Maybe I'll just put this 236 00:14:23,500 --> 00:14:27,010 aside." So I'll talk myself through it for 10 minutes or so. 237 00:14:27,280 --> 00:14:31,960 So then I actually do feel that when I've done it I'm like, 238 00:14:32,050 --> 00:14:36,160 "Yeah, actually, that was alright." It was contained, it 239 00:14:36,160 --> 00:14:38,800 was planned. I actually feel better that I've achieved what I 240 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:41,560 wrote down. So it's all that feeling of having made a list 241 00:14:41,560 --> 00:14:43,060 and having achieved it as well. 242 00:14:44,320 --> 00:14:46,090 Mia Hobbs: So you're quite goal-focused. 243 00:14:47,770 --> 00:14:50,980 Nasreen Imrit: Yeah, I find that works better for me because I 244 00:14:50,980 --> 00:15:01,810 have a lot of WIPs across all the crafts. So I can get lost 245 00:15:01,810 --> 00:15:06,250 into it. I get distracted very quickly, so I've found that 246 00:15:06,250 --> 00:15:08,470 helps keep me focused. 247 00:15:09,230 --> 00:15:11,330 Mia Hobbs: Interestingly, Nasreen, no-one else has 248 00:15:11,330 --> 00:15:18,170 mentioned school in their crafting origins story, which is 249 00:15:18,170 --> 00:15:21,950 interesting. And certainly in my own experience, I'd kind of 250 00:15:21,950 --> 00:15:24,410 almost forgotten I'd done Textiles at school because it 251 00:15:24,410 --> 00:15:28,940 was so off-putting. (Laughs) The teachers were so scary that I 252 00:15:28,940 --> 00:15:32,870 was 100% convinced I would sew through my finger on the 253 00:15:32,870 --> 00:15:40,640 machine. I haven't done that yet! Similarly, making pastry: 254 00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:44,780 also filled with terror. So that's interesting, actually. 255 00:15:44,810 --> 00:15:49,220 Obviously there was enough good about it that it got you hooked, 256 00:15:49,220 --> 00:15:50,900 actually. It was a positive experience for you. 257 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:54,650 Nasreen Imrit: Yes, it was. And I think because obviously, there 258 00:15:54,650 --> 00:15:59,180 wasn't anybody who really did any crafts in the immediate 259 00:15:59,180 --> 00:16:03,290 family, obviously I didn't know my mum, so I think for me it was 260 00:16:03,290 --> 00:16:09,320 like a lightbulb moment. I was like, "Wow!" I grew up in 261 00:16:09,320 --> 00:16:13,250 Mauritius for a bit, so that's where I'm from originally, and I 262 00:16:13,250 --> 00:16:17,090 remember on the way back from school there was one little 263 00:16:17,090 --> 00:16:21,560 embroidery shop, a craft shop, on the way home. And I would 264 00:16:21,560 --> 00:16:23,960 save my pocket money and I would buy embroidery thread on the way 265 00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:29,210 home. And I would buy a new colour each time. And those 266 00:16:29,210 --> 00:16:32,540 moments still are quite vivid, because I would remember "Oh my 267 00:16:32,540 --> 00:16:37,610 god, I've got so many shades of this one!" And I even made a 268 00:16:37,610 --> 00:16:41,660 cross stitch for my brother when I was 15 because he travelled 269 00:16:41,720 --> 00:16:44,120 and he was missing home, so I made him a little Home Sweet 270 00:16:44,120 --> 00:16:48,620 Home cross stitch project. So the memories of that actually 271 00:16:49,280 --> 00:16:54,470 are quite nice in the sense that I'm really glad I discovered it 272 00:16:54,740 --> 00:16:55,400 through school. 273 00:16:56,180 --> 00:16:59,330 Mia Hobbs: It sounds like it also was a really nice link to 274 00:16:59,330 --> 00:16:59,990 your mum. 275 00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:03,590 Nasreen Imrit: It was, and I think obviously having lost her 276 00:17:03,590 --> 00:17:06,830 so young, we always found ways to reconnect with her. And she 277 00:17:06,830 --> 00:17:11,630 was a baker, she crocheted, she sewed. I still have her books 278 00:17:11,630 --> 00:17:15,290 from the 80s. I was looking at them the other day and was like, 279 00:17:15,290 --> 00:17:18,200 "I should try and make something that doesn't look terribly 280 00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:20,930 dated. There are some things I could probably make." And I 281 00:17:20,930 --> 00:17:25,460 thought I might do that. So my dad said, "Okay, there you go." 282 00:17:25,460 --> 00:17:28,490 So my sister's got the baking side of things. She loves baking 283 00:17:28,490 --> 00:17:33,560 and decorating cakes. And I do more of the crafting, the sewing 284 00:17:33,560 --> 00:17:37,190 and the crochet. So it was really, really nice to have that 285 00:17:37,190 --> 00:17:41,060 connection and actually love crafting. My dad would always 286 00:17:41,060 --> 00:17:43,100 tell me,"Your mum used to make that." And that was actually 287 00:17:43,100 --> 00:17:45,470 quite nice to have that. 288 00:17:45,930 --> 00:17:49,050 Mia Hobbs: And also special that he kept some of the things she 289 00:17:49,050 --> 00:17:51,960 actually made and her crochet hooks. 290 00:17:52,050 --> 00:17:55,620 Nasreen Imrit: Yeah, so I still have her crochet hooks and some 291 00:17:55,620 --> 00:18:01,350 bits and bobs that she made. A lot of it used to be home decor 292 00:18:01,350 --> 00:18:04,440 things, like little doilies and things like that. They've kept 293 00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:09,810 really well, actually. So that was very precious. I guess 294 00:18:09,810 --> 00:18:13,980 that's how my love for craft actually started, which is 295 00:18:13,980 --> 00:18:17,880 really nice, and I carried on with it. And yeah, it's a big 296 00:18:17,880 --> 00:18:20,700 part of my life, I would say. 297 00:18:21,360 --> 00:18:22,950 Mia Hobbs: And that must be a special thing to share with your 298 00:18:22,950 --> 00:18:25,470 kids as well, that they can see those things that their grandma 299 00:18:25,470 --> 00:18:25,890 made. 300 00:18:26,050 --> 00:18:28,540 Nasreen Imrit: That's it! Yeah, I was showing it to my daughter 301 00:18:28,540 --> 00:18:32,290 the other day, and I was like, "Oh look, this is my mum's 302 00:18:32,290 --> 00:18:35,440 book." She was like, "Oh, wow!" And she was amazed it wasn't in 303 00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:37,390 black and white. I was like, "No, colour did exist!" (Laughs) 304 00:18:40,660 --> 00:18:45,100 And we were looking at it, and obviously the patterns used to 305 00:18:45,100 --> 00:18:51,700 be in these little foldable paper flyer type things when 306 00:18:51,700 --> 00:18:54,580 they bought the patterns, and very brief. It's really 307 00:18:54,580 --> 00:18:57,280 interesting to see how it was, you know, none of the yarns 308 00:18:57,280 --> 00:19:01,780 exist anymore. It's really interesting. She was like, "Oh, 309 00:19:01,780 --> 00:19:04,060 this one's cute. You could make that!" for one of my little 310 00:19:04,060 --> 00:19:13,990 nieces. So it was really nice to show that, and also to pass on 311 00:19:14,080 --> 00:19:18,070 the love of making to them as well, although they're 312 00:19:18,130 --> 00:19:24,910 interested in different things. I find it's an integral part of 313 00:19:24,910 --> 00:19:28,480 home, actually making, for us. Well, not my husband probably 314 00:19:28,480 --> 00:19:30,910 but the rest of them! (Laughs) 315 00:19:30,050 --> 00:19:33,404 Mia Hobbs: I suppose part of this podcast is about thinking 316 00:19:33,474 --> 00:19:37,737 about how crafting can benefit our mental wellbeing, and that 317 00:19:37,807 --> 00:19:42,350 those of us who do it a lot feel like we get lots of benefit on a 318 00:19:42,420 --> 00:19:46,613 kind of wellbeing level from doing it. And I think there are 319 00:19:46,683 --> 00:19:50,876 many ways you can interpret craft, like some people do Lego, 320 00:19:50,946 --> 00:19:55,209 I had a client who was making circuit boards, doing all these 321 00:19:55,279 --> 00:19:59,473 things I didn't understand. But the the feeling behind it, I 322 00:19:59,542 --> 00:20:03,596 suppose, was very similar to the feeling I get from making 323 00:20:03,666 --> 00:20:07,650 something from scratch, with yarn and needles or sewing a 324 00:20:07,719 --> 00:20:11,773 dress or something. The idea of having something where the 325 00:20:11,843 --> 00:20:15,966 outcome is not high stakes, nobody else cares about it, you 326 00:20:16,036 --> 00:20:20,020 can kind of experiment or be creative and a safe place to 327 00:20:20,090 --> 00:20:24,073 make mistakes, and that it's kind of just for you with no 328 00:20:24,143 --> 00:20:26,520 other useful purpose, necessarily. 329 00:20:26,990 --> 00:20:35,000 Nasreen Imrit: Absolutely. I noticed that with my daughter, 330 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:38,540 she's more into calligraphy, so she can sit there and will do 331 00:20:38,540 --> 00:20:41,330 beautiful lettering, and she will apply that to her art or 332 00:20:41,330 --> 00:20:44,990 her homework and things. So that's her thing. My middle one 333 00:20:45,020 --> 00:20:49,850 will cross stitch. He actually asked me the other day... we've 334 00:20:49,850 --> 00:20:55,700 run out of the size of the aida that he actually uses, and he 335 00:20:55,700 --> 00:20:57,110 was like, "Can I do a cross stitch?" and I was like, "I 336 00:20:57,110 --> 00:20:58,790 don't think we've got the size that you use, we have to get 337 00:20:58,790 --> 00:21:03,650 some other ones." So it's a nice quiet space for him. And he'll 338 00:21:03,650 --> 00:21:06,650 cross stitch mostly vehicles, but it doesn't matter. So he 339 00:21:06,650 --> 00:21:09,770 cross stitches anything that he likes, and if he makes a 340 00:21:09,770 --> 00:21:11,900 mistake, I'll say "It's alright! We'll just cut it and start 341 00:21:11,900 --> 00:21:17,210 again." So he really, really likes it. And I think they've 342 00:21:17,210 --> 00:21:21,260 noticed, especially my middle one, that if you need some quiet 343 00:21:21,260 --> 00:21:26,480 time, that's a nice space for him to recharge, and feel that 344 00:21:26,510 --> 00:21:33,800 this is something that's just his. He uses it a lot when he 345 00:21:33,800 --> 00:21:36,260 feels like the world's getting too much or schools getting too 346 00:21:36,260 --> 00:21:39,470 much and things like that. So he really does enjoy that. And you 347 00:21:39,470 --> 00:21:41,810 won't hear him! He's the loudest, but you will not hear 348 00:21:41,810 --> 00:21:46,850 him at all. And then he started sewing. So he's got interested 349 00:21:46,850 --> 00:21:49,460 in sewing a little bit. He does keep coming into my room saying, 350 00:21:49,490 --> 00:21:51,350 "What can we sew?", and I was like, "I don't have any boy 351 00:21:51,350 --> 00:21:55,610 fabric anymore!." (Laughs) Because I bought some for their 352 00:21:55,610 --> 00:21:58,490 room but they've used it all up. And I was like, "Well, I don't 353 00:21:58,490 --> 00:22:02,510 have anything with cars or planets or dinosaurs anymore." 354 00:22:03,170 --> 00:22:06,920 But yeah, I really love the way that they're all, in their own 355 00:22:06,920 --> 00:22:11,720 way, discovering working with their hands a lot more and 356 00:22:12,710 --> 00:22:14,270 creating things themselves actually. 357 00:22:14,270 --> 00:22:16,700 Mia Hobbs: Yeah and it sounds like you really notice that 358 00:22:16,700 --> 00:22:21,440 having an impact on them, that they kind of feel regulated and 359 00:22:21,440 --> 00:22:22,520 calm when they're doing it. 360 00:22:23,140 --> 00:22:26,470 Nasreen Imrit: They do. And I think it's really nice because 361 00:22:26,470 --> 00:22:31,570 it's something that they've done and they've made; it's not just 362 00:22:31,930 --> 00:22:35,620 their homework or their school activities, all these scripted 363 00:22:35,620 --> 00:22:38,710 things. So things where they have a blank canvas and they can 364 00:22:38,710 --> 00:22:41,260 go wild. They can decide what they want to make and what they 365 00:22:41,260 --> 00:22:45,040 want to draw and what they want to write and things like that. 366 00:22:45,040 --> 00:22:48,700 So I think that's quite important, especially during 367 00:22:48,700 --> 00:22:53,200 lockdown when we couldn't go very far anywhere. It was 368 00:22:54,820 --> 00:22:59,020 somewhere to actually explore, these avenues to think how can 369 00:22:59,020 --> 00:23:01,750 they express themselves and find an outlet. And I think that was 370 00:23:01,750 --> 00:23:03,070 really useful at the time. 371 00:23:03,370 --> 00:23:06,070 Mia Hobbs: And I think with kids, they don't get that many 372 00:23:06,070 --> 00:23:08,650 choices over things really, do they? Like they're told what 373 00:23:08,650 --> 00:23:11,410 their English homework is and there's probably very little 374 00:23:11,410 --> 00:23:13,810 scope for choice, and the older they get, probably the less 375 00:23:13,810 --> 00:23:17,770 scope there is for choice, what they write about. So it's nice 376 00:23:17,770 --> 00:23:20,200 for them to have a space to create something where they're 377 00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:20,710 the boss. 378 00:23:21,020 --> 00:23:24,560 Nasreen Imrit: Yes! Yeah, absolutely, and I think we 379 00:23:24,560 --> 00:23:28,790 noticed that a lot more over lockdown. My daughter started 380 00:23:28,790 --> 00:23:32,180 making little furniture out of paper. So she would have the 381 00:23:32,180 --> 00:23:34,430 boxes of cardboard and she would make a little bedroom. 382 00:23:34,700 --> 00:23:38,150 Everything was made out of tiny cardboard or paper. She'd make 383 00:23:38,150 --> 00:23:41,690 this little scene. That's her idea of making. She's more pen 384 00:23:41,690 --> 00:23:44,570 and paper now. And my son did the cross stitch. The little one 385 00:23:45,230 --> 00:23:47,930 just kind of dabbles into everything at the moment. He's 386 00:23:47,930 --> 00:23:54,800 not quite sure yet. They will come into my room and be like, 387 00:23:54,800 --> 00:23:58,160 "Ooh, what can I have to put in my little project?" So I was 388 00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:00,590 like, "Okay, you can have ribbons, you can have this, you 389 00:24:00,590 --> 00:24:05,810 can have this." But yeah, I do think that it has a big, big 390 00:24:05,810 --> 00:24:13,040 space for mental wellbeing, to promote mental wellbeing in all 391 00:24:13,100 --> 00:24:15,050 children and adults. 392 00:24:16,650 --> 00:24:19,159 Mia Hobbs: And it's a great thing to send them out into the 393 00:24:19,212 --> 00:24:22,454 world with, isn't it, for the rest of their lives really, this 394 00:24:22,506 --> 00:24:25,643 kind of little hidden superpower that when they need to feel 395 00:24:25,696 --> 00:24:28,990 calmer, they can go and do that. Take themselves off. Certainly 396 00:24:29,042 --> 00:24:31,866 at university, I hadn't discovered knitting then but I 397 00:24:31,918 --> 00:24:35,212 did some cross stitch. I would go and secretly do it in my room 398 00:24:35,265 --> 00:24:39,030 when everyone else was cramming and I'd had enough of revision (laughs). 399 00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:42,275 Nasreen Imrit: Yeah, absolutely. And you reminded me actually... 400 00:24:42,342 --> 00:24:46,487 I studied in Manchester at the same med school as Atia (Azmi). 401 00:24:46,554 --> 00:24:50,364 There's lots of fabric shops there, so I remember buying 402 00:24:50,431 --> 00:24:54,375 this piece of fabric that was enough to cover my single bed 403 00:24:54,442 --> 00:24:58,520 but the weave was as such that you could cross stitch through 404 00:24:58,587 --> 00:25:02,464 it. I had it on my bed and I decided that I would just add 405 00:25:02,531 --> 00:25:06,542 little bits to it. So that's why I would take breaks from my 406 00:25:06,609 --> 00:25:10,753 revision. I would go and say, "Oh, I'll make a little piece on 407 00:25:10,820 --> 00:25:15,099 it." I don't have it anymore, I think. I'd put a little piece on 408 00:25:15,165 --> 00:25:19,310 there and then I'd go back to my revision. So it was basically 409 00:25:19,377 --> 00:25:23,254 several years of bits of cross stitch on it for a while. I 410 00:25:23,321 --> 00:25:27,600 might be able to locate it. I can't remember where I've left it. 411 00:25:28,050 --> 00:25:30,510 Mia Hobbs: Have you got a photograph? That sounds like an 412 00:25:30,510 --> 00:25:31,770 amazing keepsake! 413 00:25:32,280 --> 00:25:36,390 Nasreen Imrit: It does! I know that it's been around for ages. 414 00:25:36,390 --> 00:25:39,330 I haven't seen it recently. We've moved a few times, so I 415 00:25:39,330 --> 00:25:41,790 need to try and find it. Photos... it's going to be from 416 00:25:41,790 --> 00:25:44,790 a very long time ago, probably not digital even. 417 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:47,720 Mia Hobbs: Yeah, that's the tricky thing, isn't it, with 418 00:25:47,720 --> 00:25:48,530 pre-digital? 419 00:25:49,250 --> 00:25:51,650 Nasreen Imrit: I'm going to try and find out if I can still see 420 00:25:51,650 --> 00:25:55,550 it. I think I can still find it somewhere. But yeah, you just 421 00:25:55,550 --> 00:25:57,080 reminded me of that. Yes, at uni... 422 00:25:57,710 --> 00:26:00,350 Mia Hobbs: So were you crafting buddies, you and Atia? 423 00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:03,780 Nasreen Imrit: For a little while. We spent three or four 424 00:26:03,780 --> 00:26:06,450 weeks, I think, doing a project in Wales. So we went to Wales 425 00:26:06,450 --> 00:26:09,360 together; there was me, her and another friend. And I remember 426 00:26:09,360 --> 00:26:12,390 spending a lot of time in libraries looking at cross 427 00:26:12,390 --> 00:26:18,780 stitch books and other craft books. So we would spend a lot 428 00:26:18,780 --> 00:26:21,360 of our spare time being in the library and think, "Oh wow, look 429 00:26:21,360 --> 00:26:24,090 at these patterns!" and things like that. So we spent that 430 00:26:24,210 --> 00:26:26,550 three... I think it was three weeks, actually... three weeks 431 00:26:26,550 --> 00:26:30,360 in Wales together, a good few years ago now. But we didn't do 432 00:26:30,360 --> 00:26:37,650 much crafting together at uni as such. But I reconnected with her 433 00:26:37,650 --> 00:26:40,890 a few years ago through Instagram. That's when I 434 00:26:40,890 --> 00:26:41,790 discovered Instagram. 435 00:26:47,060 --> 00:26:49,997 Mia Hobbs: I've had quite a few health professionals get in 436 00:26:50,059 --> 00:26:53,915 touch with me who are knitters or crafters. Parlty maybe that's 437 00:26:53,976 --> 00:26:57,710 because I am a psychologist and they're more attracted to the 438 00:26:57,771 --> 00:27:01,627 idea of what I'm talking about. It was something I noticed when 439 00:27:01,688 --> 00:27:05,544 I did salsa dancing years ago, that there were loads of doctors 440 00:27:05,606 --> 00:27:09,523 there, and I suppose I developed this theory that being a doctor 441 00:27:09,584 --> 00:27:13,134 is quite stressful and quite taxing on the brain, and that 442 00:27:13,195 --> 00:27:16,990 maybe that means you need kind of an active way of turning off 443 00:27:17,051 --> 00:27:20,724 your brain from your work. So the idea of dancing, I suppose 444 00:27:20,785 --> 00:27:24,152 it's hard to think about anything else if you're trying 445 00:27:24,213 --> 00:27:28,191 to coordinate what your feet and your hands are doing at the same 446 00:27:28,253 --> 00:27:31,741 time. And I wondered also about craft, whether that's the 447 00:27:31,803 --> 00:27:35,169 appeal: that it's quite an active way of switching your 448 00:27:35,230 --> 00:27:39,025 brain off from other things and having this... I don't know... 449 00:27:39,086 --> 00:27:41,780 escape. I don't know what your thoughts are. 450 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:44,930 Nasreen Imrit: Yeah, I would agree with you, because I would 451 00:27:44,930 --> 00:27:49,280 remember the time where crafting was there but not a major part 452 00:27:49,280 --> 00:27:52,070 of my life. So if I had a hard day, so probably at the 453 00:27:52,070 --> 00:27:56,630 beginning, when I went into my first years as a doctor, I would 454 00:27:57,170 --> 00:28:04,280 be so tired I'd probably spend the evening watching TV, but 455 00:28:05,720 --> 00:28:11,000 that would not relax me at all. You think that if you empty your 456 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:14,450 brain, you're filling it with something else. And I think 457 00:28:14,450 --> 00:28:18,140 after doing that for a while I did notice that actually I just 458 00:28:18,140 --> 00:28:21,830 felt more and more tired, which is when then picking up a 459 00:28:21,830 --> 00:28:24,590 craft... the fact that you're concentrating on it, reading a 460 00:28:24,590 --> 00:28:29,570 pattern to it... you're actually actively emptying your mind of 461 00:28:29,570 --> 00:28:33,590 the other things, rather than just blocking it and watching a 462 00:28:33,590 --> 00:28:38,210 screen which obviously doesn't do that at all. So I do think 463 00:28:38,210 --> 00:28:45,470 that it has that effect of cleansing your mind in the way 464 00:28:45,470 --> 00:28:48,260 that you're concentrating on something repetitive, something 465 00:28:48,260 --> 00:28:54,440 creative. And I do notice the difference after doing some 466 00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:58,580 crafts if I've had a stressful day. So after finishing work, 467 00:28:58,580 --> 00:29:01,550 catching up with everything I have to do, if I shut myself in 468 00:29:01,550 --> 00:29:04,280 a room and decide to just crochet for a couple of hours or 469 00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:08,030 even sew, I will notice the difference. When I come out I do 470 00:29:08,030 --> 00:29:15,020 feel mentally refreshed in a way. So I yeah, I definitely 471 00:29:15,020 --> 00:29:20,480 believe that it does actually healthily help you kind of 472 00:29:21,830 --> 00:29:27,230 cleanse rather than forget. And at the same time you're creating 473 00:29:27,230 --> 00:29:35,090 something. I think it does have a big part to play towards 474 00:29:35,090 --> 00:29:39,020 preventing burnout for a lot of people who feel burnt out, 475 00:29:39,830 --> 00:29:43,910 because it is difficult to switch off. Possibly from the 476 00:29:43,910 --> 00:29:46,460 work that YOU do, as well: it's quite difficult to switch off 477 00:29:46,970 --> 00:29:48,740 from the things that you have to listen to, you have to hear. 478 00:29:48,740 --> 00:29:51,980 Even though you've got your professional hat on, you still 479 00:29:51,980 --> 00:29:55,040 absorb it. You're still human, you still absorb it. And to 480 00:29:55,040 --> 00:30:02,360 learn to let that go is necessary, I think. To have a 481 00:30:02,360 --> 00:30:09,410 method of really switching off and recharging before the next 482 00:30:09,410 --> 00:30:13,190 day or the next thing. So yeah, I'm a strong believer in that. 483 00:30:13,820 --> 00:30:17,240 I'd go everywhere with my crochet stuff if I could! 484 00:30:17,240 --> 00:30:19,550 (Laughs) Even when there's no time, I take it with me. You 485 00:30:19,550 --> 00:30:20,990 never know, you might get stuck in traffic! 486 00:30:20,990 --> 00:30:28,250 Mia Hobbs: Yeah, definitely. That's really interesting, the 487 00:30:28,250 --> 00:30:31,970 idea about preventing burnout. I think burnout's an increasingly 488 00:30:31,970 --> 00:30:35,420 big problem, isn't it, in the health service, certainly here. 489 00:30:37,490 --> 00:30:42,140 And yeah, I resonate a lot with what you say about finding a way 490 00:30:42,140 --> 00:30:44,720 of... I find sometimes I'm attracted to really complicated 491 00:30:44,720 --> 00:30:47,660 patterns because, like you say, I want to absorb myself fully in 492 00:30:47,660 --> 00:30:51,620 something so my brain can't be thinking about other things from 493 00:30:51,620 --> 00:30:56,510 my day. But also the idea of having this kind of soothing 494 00:30:56,510 --> 00:31:00,320 repetitive motion. It almost sounded like you get something 495 00:31:00,350 --> 00:31:04,070 almost a bit rejuvenating from it, like that time you spend in 496 00:31:04,070 --> 00:31:04,940 your craft room. 497 00:31:05,590 --> 00:31:08,740 Nasreen Imrit: I do. It's like my little haven. I'm quite lucky 498 00:31:08,740 --> 00:31:12,400 to have a space, and that the children know I'm generally off 499 00:31:12,400 --> 00:31:20,110 limits. (Laughs) So on the days when they're at school and I'm 500 00:31:20,110 --> 00:31:24,220 not at work, I will actually have the door closed and maybe 501 00:31:24,220 --> 00:31:26,650 listen to something, maybe not, depending on whether I want 502 00:31:26,650 --> 00:31:30,970 quiet. And it will just be like the best time in the world, just 503 00:31:30,970 --> 00:31:37,480 making something. Over time, as I've learned to understand what 504 00:31:37,480 --> 00:31:39,670 crafting means to me, I've realised actually I need it. 505 00:31:39,700 --> 00:31:44,260 It's part of something that I need to be who I have to be, at 506 00:31:44,260 --> 00:31:48,130 home at work, etc. rather than just being this thing that I do 507 00:31:48,190 --> 00:31:51,970 because I enjoy it. I remember when I was cross stitching in my 508 00:31:52,750 --> 00:31:59,200 late teens/early 20s, I used to get comments like, "Why are you 509 00:31:59,200 --> 00:32:03,850 doing that? This is what old people do." They would say it in 510 00:32:03,850 --> 00:32:06,580 a laughing way and it would be relatives. "Why are you doing 511 00:32:06,580 --> 00:32:09,010 that? You should be going out!" And I'm like, "Well, I really 512 00:32:09,010 --> 00:32:13,720 like it. I love watching this white fabric just burst with 513 00:32:13,720 --> 00:32:17,200 colour, and I made this!" They wouldn't really understand it, 514 00:32:17,710 --> 00:32:22,240 but I'm glad it's not something that anyone's been able to ever 515 00:32:22,240 --> 00:32:24,910 take away from me, even from that age. 516 00:32:25,560 --> 00:32:27,810 Mia Hobbs: Do you think you understood then? Because I think 517 00:32:27,810 --> 00:32:32,040 certainly for myself, I don't think I really understood that I 518 00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:35,250 needed it and that it was beneficial to my mental well 519 00:32:35,250 --> 00:32:40,440 being until really relatively recently. Maybe the last five or 520 00:32:40,440 --> 00:32:43,350 so years, I've really thought deliberately about what do I 521 00:32:43,350 --> 00:32:48,600 need right now for me in terms of crafting, and just how 522 00:32:48,600 --> 00:32:52,350 important it was to me. And I had certainly lots of those 523 00:32:52,350 --> 00:32:55,170 comments about being an old lady and those kind of things at 524 00:32:55,170 --> 00:32:58,560 university, when I was literally the only person doing cross 525 00:32:58,560 --> 00:33:02,730 stitch or knitting. I'd be interested to hear about the 526 00:33:02,730 --> 00:33:05,100 journey you've been on in terms of your understanding about how 527 00:33:05,100 --> 00:33:06,540 much you've needed craft. 528 00:33:08,280 --> 00:33:12,510 Nasreen Imrit: I would say in my early years I didn't link it to 529 00:33:12,510 --> 00:33:15,900 my mental health as such. It was really just, "Mum used to do it. 530 00:33:15,960 --> 00:33:20,250 I really want to do it." So I kind of grew into that. And then 531 00:33:20,250 --> 00:33:24,000 I always just liked it. That was just it. I just liked thread and 532 00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:27,690 I did it on and off, on and off, through uni as well. But I would 533 00:33:27,690 --> 00:33:36,330 say in terms of benefit to my mental health, probably the last 534 00:33:36,330 --> 00:33:44,040 four or five years, I would say. That's possibly because now my 535 00:33:44,070 --> 00:33:49,650 youngest is four, so I was too busy to actually think about it. 536 00:33:50,910 --> 00:33:57,570 And then recently, obviously now they're all a bit older, but 537 00:33:57,570 --> 00:34:03,780 there is still lots more to do. I started thinking about it more 538 00:34:03,780 --> 00:34:08,430 deliberately. As they get older their needs increase, and work's 539 00:34:08,430 --> 00:34:11,520 been more stressful with Covid times, and I think that's made 540 00:34:11,520 --> 00:34:16,770 me a lot more aware of it. It's gone from being a hobby to 541 00:34:16,770 --> 00:34:23,640 something that's more therapy. When I discovered Instagram, 542 00:34:23,640 --> 00:34:27,090 that was mad because I was like, "(Gasp) Look at all these 543 00:34:27,090 --> 00:34:29,340 patterns! Look at all these people!" So that's how I learned 544 00:34:29,340 --> 00:34:33,300 to sew, when I discovered Instagram, and I self-taught. 545 00:34:33,780 --> 00:34:37,410 Mia Hobbs: And when you say sew, what do you mean by sewing? Is 546 00:34:37,410 --> 00:34:39,510 that like machine-sewing or hand-sewing or...? 547 00:34:39,570 --> 00:34:41,490 Nasreen Imrit: Yes, I do mainly machine-sewing. 548 00:34:42,120 --> 00:34:43,710 Mia Hobbs: And is it clothes or...? 549 00:34:43,540 --> 00:34:46,604 Nasreen Imrit: Yeah, so I made the dress that I'm wearing at 550 00:34:46,672 --> 00:34:50,827 the moment. I do mostly clothes and I will make random things 551 00:34:50,895 --> 00:34:55,117 for my children, like if they need a little bag I'll make them 552 00:34:55,185 --> 00:34:59,476 pouches for things, clothes for their little teddies and stuff. 553 00:34:59,544 --> 00:35:03,699 But then Instagram initially stressed me out because I had to 554 00:35:03,767 --> 00:35:07,376 make everything that I saw. (Laughs) I had a bit of a 555 00:35:07,444 --> 00:35:11,735 love/hate relationship with my craft, because it kind of tipped 556 00:35:11,803 --> 00:35:16,094 into being this stressful thing from being this relaxing thing, 557 00:35:16,162 --> 00:35:20,044 because there was always something that I had on my list. 558 00:35:20,112 --> 00:35:23,994 The lists are still there but they don't stress me out so 559 00:35:24,062 --> 00:35:28,421 much. I had to learn to tip that balance, that actually my craft 560 00:35:28,489 --> 00:35:32,575 was to relax me not because I need to churn out three things 561 00:35:32,643 --> 00:35:34,210 by the end of the week. 562 00:35:35,890 --> 00:35:39,640 Mia Hobbs: It sounds like your automatic thing is kind of an 563 00:35:39,640 --> 00:35:44,080 ambitious drive sensation of "Ooh, look at all these things! 564 00:35:44,080 --> 00:35:47,380 I could make them." And I can hear the doctor in you there, 565 00:35:47,440 --> 00:35:50,680 like the ambitious person wants to go for it, and that you've 566 00:35:50,680 --> 00:35:54,190 kind of slowly reined that in into "No, this can be a bit more 567 00:35:54,190 --> 00:35:56,410 about process and not just about achievement." 568 00:35:56,510 --> 00:36:00,830 Nasreen Imrit: Exactly. And I think that's where knitting has 569 00:36:00,830 --> 00:36:03,950 really come in, because obviously, as I've started to be 570 00:36:03,950 --> 00:36:07,700 more mindful of what I'm doing, meditating, taking that time 571 00:36:07,700 --> 00:36:13,370 out, the knitting actually fits in really nicely with that. You 572 00:36:13,370 --> 00:36:16,400 enjoy the process of knitting because it's not one stitch at a 573 00:36:16,400 --> 00:36:19,340 time; you've got to do a few rows before you can actually see 574 00:36:19,340 --> 00:36:22,790 what you're doing and see what's come out. Whereas with crochet, 575 00:36:22,790 --> 00:36:24,590 you've done a few stitches, "Oh yeah, I can see, yeah that's 576 00:36:24,590 --> 00:36:26,990 going to look like that for the next..." But with knitting, you 577 00:36:27,200 --> 00:36:30,020 have to be patient with it for a bit before you can actually 578 00:36:30,590 --> 00:36:34,250 understand. So that's where I was just thinking actually, 579 00:36:34,250 --> 00:36:40,430 yeah, I'm ready to start to take this on. But yeah, the last 580 00:36:40,430 --> 00:36:43,430 couple of years, as I've taken sewing and crochet and now 581 00:36:43,430 --> 00:36:47,540 knitting more seriously, I've had to find my balance between 582 00:36:47,540 --> 00:36:52,010 wanting to make everything that exists and, you know, having a 583 00:36:52,010 --> 00:36:55,520 sweater like yours (which I will get to one day!) to actually 584 00:36:55,520 --> 00:37:00,680 just putting it back and making sure that my craft doesn't 585 00:37:00,680 --> 00:37:04,460 become like everything else that I have to do. So that's been 586 00:37:04,460 --> 00:37:05,990 very interesting. And it sounds 587 00:37:05,990 --> 00:37:08,150 Mia Hobbs: And it sounds like now, Nasreen, it's very much 588 00:37:08,150 --> 00:37:11,630 part of a deliberate part of your self-care strategy. 589 00:37:12,140 --> 00:37:15,740 Nasreen Imrit: Yeah, absolutely. So, for example, normally if I 590 00:37:15,740 --> 00:37:18,590 make something I would say, "Okay, I'm going to follow this 591 00:37:18,590 --> 00:37:21,350 pattern and then I'm going to make it." Because I know it will 592 00:37:21,350 --> 00:37:23,240 only take me two days to make it, for example a sewing 593 00:37:23,240 --> 00:37:26,660 pattern. But when I sit and think about it, what I really 594 00:37:26,660 --> 00:37:33,080 want to do is I want to create. So I know that actually I don't 595 00:37:33,080 --> 00:37:36,440 like this bit of it, but I'd like to add some applique to it; 596 00:37:36,470 --> 00:37:40,040 I could even add some crochet to it. If I gave myself that little 597 00:37:40,040 --> 00:37:43,610 bit of time to think, I would come up with something that I'd 598 00:37:43,610 --> 00:37:46,820 absolutely love because I took the time and I was mindful about 599 00:37:46,820 --> 00:37:49,280 it. So I'm learning to do that a little bit more, rather than 600 00:37:49,280 --> 00:37:54,020 just think, "Yeah, I made it." And I'm finding that initially 601 00:37:54,020 --> 00:37:56,030 challenging, but I'm getting better at it. So I can let 602 00:37:56,030 --> 00:37:59,810 something sit for a while and think, "Actually, let me come 603 00:37:59,810 --> 00:38:04,850 back when I feel that I really love what I'm doing right now, 604 00:38:04,850 --> 00:38:09,080 and it is me" rather than "I've done this pattern. There you go, 605 00:38:09,080 --> 00:38:10,400 guys. Look, I made it." 606 00:38:12,970 --> 00:38:14,980 Mia Hobbs: Do you feel like it's more rewarding when you do it 607 00:38:14,980 --> 00:38:19,990 the second way? Slower and slightly more creative, giving 608 00:38:19,990 --> 00:38:22,420 yourself time to have those ideas in the first place? 609 00:38:22,630 --> 00:38:25,150 Nasreen Imrit: I do. I've made a couple of pieces of clothing 610 00:38:25,150 --> 00:38:32,770 like that, a dress that I made with an old shawl... So that 611 00:38:32,800 --> 00:38:35,800 shawl was a beautiful shawl I bought from India. For some 612 00:38:35,800 --> 00:38:39,070 reason I decided to put it on a surface. I put candles on, 613 00:38:39,070 --> 00:38:42,430 didn't put a plate, the candles kind of ruined some of it. It 614 00:38:42,430 --> 00:38:46,540 was so beautiful, I kept the part that was still okay. And 615 00:38:46,540 --> 00:38:48,970 then I decided to incorporate it as part of a dress, but 616 00:38:48,970 --> 00:38:52,420 obviously I had to redesign the dress slightly to make it work. 617 00:38:53,860 --> 00:38:58,120 It took me longer but when I look at it, I love it so much 618 00:38:58,120 --> 00:39:01,300 more because I was like "Okay, it is exactly as I wanted it to 619 00:39:01,300 --> 00:39:05,620 be." So I'm learning to do that a little bit more, rather than 620 00:39:05,620 --> 00:39:07,900 just say, "Yep, made this pattern, made this one, made 621 00:39:07,900 --> 00:39:08,470 this one". 622 00:39:08,740 --> 00:39:10,900 Mia Hobbs: And there'd be none others in the entire world that 623 00:39:10,900 --> 00:39:12,130 are exactly the same as yours. 624 00:39:12,580 --> 00:39:18,520 Nasreen Imrit: Exactly. So yeah, my relationship with craft has 625 00:39:18,850 --> 00:39:23,560 evolved through the years to somewhere where I think I wanted 626 00:39:23,560 --> 00:39:24,070 to be. 627 00:39:24,060 --> 00:39:26,985 Mia Hobbs: And how about your relationship with the finished 628 00:39:27,044 --> 00:39:30,745 objects? I don't know whether there's anything about that that 629 00:39:30,805 --> 00:39:34,088 still gives you kind of therapeutic value. For example, 630 00:39:34,148 --> 00:39:37,729 like today you're wearing a dress you made; does that make a 631 00:39:37,789 --> 00:39:41,610 difference to your mental health on a daily basis, do you think? 632 00:39:41,000 --> 00:39:44,930 Nasreen Imrit: Now it does! When I first started, I didn't like 633 00:39:44,930 --> 00:39:48,110 the things I made! I don't know whether I was just too self 634 00:39:48,110 --> 00:39:52,550 critical, or is it that perfectionist in me that, you 635 00:39:52,550 --> 00:39:55,850 know... It wasn't quite... It was a bit rough round the edges. 636 00:39:56,090 --> 00:39:57,980 So I remember with first few things I made, I'd be like, 637 00:39:57,980 --> 00:40:03,410 "Hmm, I'll wear that thing that I bought instead." But now, most 638 00:40:03,410 --> 00:40:07,160 days I will wear something that I made. And it just gives you 639 00:40:07,160 --> 00:40:12,020 that sense of warmth that nothing else tends to. And I'm 640 00:40:12,020 --> 00:40:15,260 like living in this dress at the moment because it's warm. And 641 00:40:15,260 --> 00:40:17,420 I'm like, "Ooh, should I buy some more fabric the same and 642 00:40:17,420 --> 00:40:20,480 just make a top? Because it's actually quite nice and warm." 643 00:40:20,480 --> 00:40:23,960 And I'll add pockets to designs that do not have pockets, 644 00:40:23,960 --> 00:40:28,010 because we all need pockets all the time. But generally, I 645 00:40:28,010 --> 00:40:30,650 notice myself sometimes, I'll be like, "Oh, am I wearing anything 646 00:40:30,650 --> 00:40:37,310 I made today?" and usually there would be one item. And I don't 647 00:40:37,310 --> 00:40:42,710 find myself buying clothes anymore, much. I will look, but 648 00:40:42,740 --> 00:40:45,470 generally if I'm browsing online I'm taking pictures of what 649 00:40:45,470 --> 00:40:48,950 people are wearing! I'm like, "Oh, I could make this!" rather 650 00:40:48,950 --> 00:40:54,920 than actually buying it. But yes, it does make me feel more 651 00:40:54,920 --> 00:41:00,020 confident, and it's like a silent confidence that yeah, you 652 00:41:00,020 --> 00:41:02,240 know, I made this and I'm comfortable in this, and it's 653 00:41:02,240 --> 00:41:02,750 me. 654 00:41:04,490 --> 00:41:07,430 Mia Hobbs: And do people around you know? Like people at work, 655 00:41:07,940 --> 00:41:11,570 do they know about that side of you and notice if there's 656 00:41:11,570 --> 00:41:14,210 something you've made, or think that you might have made it? 657 00:41:14,900 --> 00:41:19,160 Nasreen Imrit: Yes, at work there's a few of my colleagues 658 00:41:19,160 --> 00:41:21,230 who do know that I make things. So every now and then they will 659 00:41:21,230 --> 00:41:23,990 look at me like "Did you make that?" And sometimes it'll be 660 00:41:23,990 --> 00:41:25,550 yes, sometimes it'll be no, because sometimes they can't 661 00:41:25,550 --> 00:41:25,940 tell! 662 00:41:26,030 --> 00:41:28,430 Mia Hobbs: No, with sewing I think it's harder to tell, isn't 663 00:41:28,610 --> 00:41:31,100 it? Whereas with a knitted jumper, it probably looks more 664 00:41:31,100 --> 00:41:32,330 obviously hand-knitted. 665 00:41:31,880 --> 00:41:34,329 Nasreen Imrit: Yeah, it looks more handmade. So they do 666 00:41:34,390 --> 00:41:37,881 comment on it. And I've made a few things for a couple of 667 00:41:37,942 --> 00:41:41,677 people at work as well. So they do know that I make it. I was 668 00:41:41,360 --> 00:42:09,470 Mia Hobbs: People ask me about knitted things, but the hourly 669 00:41:41,739 --> 00:41:45,229 making something at work the other day. We had a training 670 00:41:45,290 --> 00:41:49,087 afternoon over Zoom, and one of my colleagues came in. She was 671 00:41:49,148 --> 00:41:53,006 like, "Are you making that? Are you selling it?" And I said, "I 672 00:41:53,067 --> 00:41:56,803 haven't thought about it yet!" She was like, "Well, if you're 673 00:41:56,864 --> 00:42:00,232 not doing anything about it, I'll buy it, I'll buy it!" 674 00:42:00,293 --> 00:42:03,661 (Laughs) I find that really hard. I've never thought of 675 00:42:03,722 --> 00:42:05,070 selling things I make! 676 00:42:09,470 --> 00:42:14,180 rate would be 0.00p! (Laughs) So it's not something I'm 677 00:42:14,180 --> 00:42:14,990 interested in. 678 00:42:15,440 --> 00:42:17,690 Nasreen Imrit: That's the thing! I was speaking to my husband 679 00:42:17,690 --> 00:42:20,480 about it and I said, "I wouldn't know what to sell this for, 680 00:42:20,480 --> 00:42:25,310 because the amount of time I've spent on it... people won't be 681 00:42:25,310 --> 00:42:36,800 willing to pay what it's worth!" So yeah, my crafting bug or 682 00:42:36,830 --> 00:42:43,640 obsession (whichever one!) is generally well known. Family as 683 00:42:43,640 --> 00:42:47,270 well - they will always ask me, "What are you making?" But yeah, 684 00:42:47,450 --> 00:42:52,460 it's part of me now, and I'm kind of glad it's not this thing 685 00:42:52,460 --> 00:42:55,790 that old people make. And you know, I've found a lot more 686 00:42:55,790 --> 00:42:58,940 confidence in it, that actually I'm glad I did it. I'm glad I 687 00:42:58,940 --> 00:43:00,380 discovered it when I did. 688 00:43:00,000 --> 00:43:03,362 Mia Hobbs: And did it help finding other similar people on 689 00:43:03,434 --> 00:43:07,584 Instagram, as in people who were younger? Certainly when I 690 00:43:07,656 --> 00:43:12,163 discovered Instagram, which was long after I started to knit, I 691 00:43:12,235 --> 00:43:16,385 felt like I'm not the only person my age who's doing this, 692 00:43:16,457 --> 00:43:20,464 and found more patterns that were more things I would be 693 00:43:20,535 --> 00:43:23,040 interested in wearing, for example. 694 00:43:23,420 --> 00:43:25,700 Nasreen Imrit: My sister asked me to go on Instagram and I was 695 00:43:25,700 --> 00:43:30,500 like, "Nah, I don't see why I would." And then I decided to, 696 00:43:30,500 --> 00:43:34,370 about three years ago, and then I developed a lot more as a 697 00:43:34,370 --> 00:43:39,920 crocheter and a sewer at that point, because I discovered 698 00:43:40,460 --> 00:43:45,110 everything: all the indie sewing designers, all the beginner 699 00:43:45,110 --> 00:43:50,720 patterns. And then I started doing colourwork in crochet 700 00:43:50,720 --> 00:43:55,160 which are things that I hadn't ventured into before. I started 701 00:43:55,160 --> 00:44:01,010 doing tapestry; I designed a blanket then a cushion about 702 00:44:01,010 --> 00:44:04,670 three years ago. I've designed several things. I have too 703 00:44:04,670 --> 00:44:06,440 many... I get distracted too easily. I haven't followed 704 00:44:06,440 --> 00:44:11,150 through into publishing them. I've got about two or three 705 00:44:11,150 --> 00:44:15,890 other things that I've made and designed but not written up or 706 00:44:15,890 --> 00:44:17,960 released, so that might come one day. 707 00:44:18,050 --> 00:44:20,120 Mia Hobbs: Yeah? That's exciting! 708 00:44:20,630 --> 00:44:23,750 Nasreen Imrit: I've met designers as young as 15 on 709 00:44:23,750 --> 00:44:30,080 Instagram who are so so talented, yarn dyers and stuff, 710 00:44:30,080 --> 00:44:34,250 and it's been such an amazing space to find other people who 711 00:44:34,250 --> 00:44:38,150 do what I do. Because before that I was the only one who did 712 00:44:38,150 --> 00:44:41,390 what I did. Which is fine... everyone's like, "Oh you do 713 00:44:41,390 --> 00:44:44,210 this!" but now it's like no no no, ALL these people do this. 714 00:44:44,240 --> 00:44:49,010 There's a whole world out there! So yeah, it's an app where I've 715 00:44:49,010 --> 00:44:53,510 learned so much. So so much. And I still keep learning. But I've 716 00:44:53,510 --> 00:44:57,080 certainly learned so much from all the people I've come across 717 00:44:57,080 --> 00:45:02,000 online. You help each other. You know, they've tested my pattern, 718 00:45:02,600 --> 00:45:06,650 I've tested patterns for a lot of people, so made some nice 719 00:45:06,860 --> 00:45:12,770 Insta friends. I made face masks for them during the pandemic, at 720 00:45:12,770 --> 00:45:17,150 the beginning. So yeah, it's been really lovely to build that 721 00:45:17,150 --> 00:45:17,930 community. 722 00:45:18,680 --> 00:45:21,470 Mia Hobbs: I'd love to hear about a significant project. It 723 00:45:21,470 --> 00:45:24,200 doesn't have to be knitting; it could be crochet or any other 724 00:45:24,200 --> 00:45:26,840 craft. I don't know if you can think of something that stands 725 00:45:26,840 --> 00:45:29,390 out as being a kind of significant project for you. 726 00:45:29,000 --> 00:45:36,290 Nasreen Imrit: I have a couple. So I have one that I made. It's 727 00:45:36,290 --> 00:45:39,800 upstairs. It's actually made on a canvas. It was the last one I 728 00:45:39,800 --> 00:45:45,830 made before I had children, and it was made with scraps from a 729 00:45:45,830 --> 00:45:50,240 cushion cover. It was a combination of... so if you 730 00:45:50,240 --> 00:45:53,990 imagine a large rectangular canvas, and it has fabric stuck 731 00:45:53,990 --> 00:45:59,420 on it with a ribbonwork and embroidery and paint. So then I 732 00:45:59,420 --> 00:46:03,080 painted in Arabic on it. So it was just a massive combination 733 00:46:03,080 --> 00:46:07,400 of loads of different crafts, and that was like the biggest 734 00:46:07,400 --> 00:46:12,410 thing I made for the house. Apart from that, I'd probably 735 00:46:12,410 --> 00:46:15,920 say the things that I make for my children. So they all have 736 00:46:15,920 --> 00:46:19,670 this little teddy that's exactly the same. My daughter had it, 737 00:46:19,670 --> 00:46:22,040 and by the time we realised she was so attached to it we bought 738 00:46:22,040 --> 00:46:25,910 a spare, just in case she ever lost it. She never lost it, so 739 00:46:25,910 --> 00:46:29,000 then the second one got the teddy. And then when we had a 740 00:46:29,000 --> 00:46:33,530 third, we were like, "Well, he's going to be left out!" Every so 741 00:46:33,530 --> 00:46:38,300 often I have to renew their outfits. They have mini jackets 742 00:46:38,540 --> 00:46:42,380 - crochet jackets - and I think that's the thing that's just the 743 00:46:42,380 --> 00:46:45,890 most loved. So they will put their jackets on in winter; in 744 00:46:45,890 --> 00:46:48,680 summer they're hot so they'll take their jackets off. So their 745 00:46:48,680 --> 00:46:51,050 jackets go on and off, and then after a few years my daughter 746 00:46:51,050 --> 00:46:52,910 was like, "We need to make a new jacket. This is just getting 747 00:46:52,910 --> 00:46:55,970 really tatty." So they will choose their yarn, and it's a 748 00:46:55,970 --> 00:46:59,780 good way to use up scraps. That will be the thing that is hugged 749 00:46:59,810 --> 00:47:04,730 the most, all the time. So I think that's probably my nicest 750 00:47:04,730 --> 00:47:06,950 project that I've made, the things that I've made for them. 751 00:47:07,430 --> 00:47:09,680 Or the blankets. I've made a few blankets for them. It'll always 752 00:47:09,680 --> 00:47:13,400 be dens, but it's the fact that they choose those blankets to 753 00:47:13,400 --> 00:47:17,870 make the dens with, and they know that I made it for them. 754 00:47:18,050 --> 00:47:20,180 And then they will always proudly say, "Oh my mum made 755 00:47:20,180 --> 00:47:24,830 this!" "No no no, that's my blanket!" you know, if somebody 756 00:47:24,830 --> 00:47:27,920 else touches them. "That's my one, go and touch the one that 757 00:47:27,950 --> 00:47:31,700 my mum made for you." So, you know, they really find it 758 00:47:31,700 --> 00:47:35,570 something quite precious. So I'd probably say those are my most 759 00:47:35,570 --> 00:47:38,210 significant makes in that sense. 760 00:47:38,210 --> 00:47:41,240 Mia Hobbs: Yeah, so the family connection is really special. 761 00:47:42,320 --> 00:47:46,160 Oh, that's amazing. I always end with asking: what's the greatest 762 00:47:46,160 --> 00:47:48,860 gift that craft has given you for the rest of your life? 763 00:47:49,500 --> 00:47:53,370 Nasreen Imrit: I would say connection, because I guess 764 00:47:53,370 --> 00:47:58,830 that's how my relationship with craft started, was trying to 765 00:47:58,860 --> 00:48:04,110 connect with my mum's memory and what she did. And then obviously 766 00:48:04,110 --> 00:48:09,270 moving into kind of connecting with myself, and then connecting 767 00:48:09,270 --> 00:48:14,190 with other people through the web, and then finding a 768 00:48:14,250 --> 00:48:16,830 different way to connect with my children and passing that on to 769 00:48:16,830 --> 00:48:23,400 them. So my middle one who loves crafting is waiting for me to 770 00:48:23,400 --> 00:48:26,310 make a next... we make little reels about how to do easy 771 00:48:26,310 --> 00:48:30,420 things... so easy projects. So he's looking forward... I told 772 00:48:30,420 --> 00:48:34,080 him we'll try and make another one this weekend. So I get to 773 00:48:34,080 --> 00:48:36,270 have a one to one time with them, with something that they 774 00:48:36,270 --> 00:48:40,560 enjoy. And it's always something crafty. So I think that that 775 00:48:40,560 --> 00:48:45,840 connection and that love that's been passed on - I think that 776 00:48:45,840 --> 00:48:52,380 would probably be my main takeaway, my main connection 777 00:48:52,470 --> 00:48:55,380 (I'm using the word connect again!) to crafts. It's what 778 00:48:55,560 --> 00:48:58,080 links me to it that's the strongest thing, I would say. 779 00:48:58,380 --> 00:49:00,360 Mia Hobbs: Yeah, that's really special. And it's really 780 00:49:00,360 --> 00:49:03,630 interesting that you said it's connection in your family, but 781 00:49:03,630 --> 00:49:06,330 also to yourself... like feeling really you. 782 00:49:06,000 --> 00:49:11,970 Nasreen Imrit: Yeah! It's so versatile because you can have 783 00:49:11,970 --> 00:49:14,310 it be something that's completely your own, but it can 784 00:49:14,310 --> 00:49:18,840 also be something that creates friendships and creates... You 785 00:49:18,840 --> 00:49:21,150 know, like the other day we were talking about health and 786 00:49:21,150 --> 00:49:24,150 wellbeing at work, and I was saying to one of my colleagues, 787 00:49:24,960 --> 00:49:27,690 "How about if we started to teach crochet and stuff?" She 788 00:49:27,690 --> 00:49:30,900 was like, "Yes, yes, yes, yes!" Not sure how it's going to 789 00:49:30,900 --> 00:49:33,750 materialise but it's something that we would like to try and do 790 00:49:33,750 --> 00:49:36,780 and see if people are interested to learn crafting - different 791 00:49:36,780 --> 00:49:40,890 types of craft to promote health and wellbeing at work. 792 00:49:40,990 --> 00:49:43,900 Mia Hobbs: I think it's such a lovely... I mean, I did it for a 793 00:49:43,900 --> 00:49:48,400 few... it wasn't deliberately for that but I had a colleague 794 00:49:48,400 --> 00:49:54,280 who had twins and they were very special babies (long-awaited and 795 00:49:54,790 --> 00:49:58,510 two of them) and lots of people came up to me and said "I know 796 00:49:58,510 --> 00:50:01,000 you knit. Can you help me knit a cardigan for these babies?" and 797 00:50:01,000 --> 00:50:05,170 I was thinking, "The last thing these poor children need is 15 798 00:50:05,200 --> 00:50:10,600 half-knitted holey cardigans in the same size!" (laughs) and I 799 00:50:10,600 --> 00:50:14,500 was like, "This is what we're going to do: I'll buy yarn, you 800 00:50:14,500 --> 00:50:19,090 can knit squares, or crochet squares, and I'll crochet them 801 00:50:19,090 --> 00:50:22,750 together to make blankets." Because that's easier, 802 00:50:22,750 --> 00:50:24,730 obviously, than doing the shaping and everything, for 803 00:50:24,730 --> 00:50:27,550 people who were... some of them were rusty knitters, some of 804 00:50:27,550 --> 00:50:31,450 them were completely new to knitting. But actually it was 805 00:50:31,450 --> 00:50:34,630 lovely! Often on a Friday, and it was just a very short amount 806 00:50:34,630 --> 00:50:38,440 of time, like half an hour, where we'd go in the staff room, 807 00:50:38,440 --> 00:50:41,020 and I could help people with various dropped stitches and 808 00:50:41,020 --> 00:50:43,780 things, and some people did crochet, some people did 809 00:50:43,780 --> 00:50:48,220 knitting, but it really did give people a... Like lots of people 810 00:50:48,220 --> 00:50:51,790 commented on having that little space, because so many people 811 00:50:51,790 --> 00:50:58,000 were just eating at their desks (me included!) and we had some 812 00:50:58,000 --> 00:51:00,970 different conversations about, you know, family stories about 813 00:51:01,210 --> 00:51:04,510 knitting and crochet. And I got to know people in a different 814 00:51:04,510 --> 00:51:08,320 way, who I didn't really know much about their personal life. 815 00:51:08,320 --> 00:51:12,880 It was really a boost to team morale, I think. 816 00:51:12,000 --> 00:51:15,930 Nasreen Imrit: I think you're absolutely right, and that comes 817 00:51:15,930 --> 00:51:20,100 back to the whole connection thing,. You know, the people we 818 00:51:20,100 --> 00:51:24,810 work with, we just talk about work. But to have a space which 819 00:51:24,810 --> 00:51:31,980 is away from that and be able to talk to them and to have a chat 820 00:51:31,980 --> 00:51:39,750 with them on a different level completely is just too rare, I 821 00:51:39,750 --> 00:51:40,110 think. 822 00:51:40,920 --> 00:51:42,840 Mia Hobbs: And just to give them that skill, like you've done 823 00:51:42,840 --> 00:51:47,520 with your kids, to give them this kind of therapeutic 824 00:51:48,030 --> 00:51:51,180 potentiaI, I suppose, that they can whip out on a bus or at home 825 00:51:51,180 --> 00:51:52,890 or wherever they need to. 826 00:51:53,500 --> 00:51:58,990 Nasreen Imrit: Absolutely. And I do wish that there are things 827 00:51:58,990 --> 00:52:02,920 like that, that are more widely available in terms of helping to 828 00:52:02,920 --> 00:52:08,680 promote mental wellbeing, that is available at the moment for 829 00:52:08,680 --> 00:52:13,900 people. And I don't know, maybe that will come on the NHS that's 830 00:52:13,900 --> 00:52:15,640 more available for people, because I think there's a lot of 831 00:52:15,640 --> 00:52:18,280 people that I see that I think could benefit from something 832 00:52:18,280 --> 00:52:20,410 like that. But it's very difficult for me to say it when 833 00:52:20,410 --> 00:52:27,970 there is nowhere to actually provide it. Yeah, so you never 834 00:52:27,970 --> 00:52:28,240 know. 835 00:52:29,470 --> 00:52:32,440 Mia Hobbs: I mean, that's one of my hopes for the podcast, and my 836 00:52:32,440 --> 00:52:36,820 kind of project in general. But I think it's tricky finding the 837 00:52:36,970 --> 00:52:43,600 money and the people to value it enough to pay for it and to give 838 00:52:43,600 --> 00:52:47,350 staff the time to do it also. Nasreen, it was an absolute 839 00:52:47,350 --> 00:52:51,130 pleasure to hear your wonderful stories and to hear all your 840 00:52:51,940 --> 00:52:56,710 insights on craft. So thank you so much for coming on the 841 00:52:56,710 --> 00:52:59,650 podcast. If people want to follow you on Instagram or find 842 00:52:59,650 --> 00:53:01,870 out more about your makes, how would they do that? 843 00:53:02,500 --> 00:53:07,210 Nasreen Imrit: So I am on Instagram, and my handle is 844 00:53:07,480 --> 00:53:13,000 @sewcraftynaz. That's where you will find me and all my makes 845 00:53:13,060 --> 00:53:15,760 and half-makes and everything else (laughs). 846 00:53:15,760 --> 00:53:17,920 Mia Hobbs: And is it sew as in sewing? S-E-W? 847 00:53:19,270 --> 00:53:23,590 Nasreen Imrit: S-E-W crafty Naz with a Z, as one word. But yes, 848 00:53:23,590 --> 00:53:26,980 that's where you'll find my creative corner. But thank you 849 00:53:26,980 --> 00:53:30,940 so much for having me on! I've really enjoyed it. This is my 850 00:53:30,940 --> 00:53:35,050 first podcast, so I'm very honoured that it's yours. So 851 00:53:35,050 --> 00:53:35,680 that's really lovely. 852 00:53:35,460 --> 00:53:38,760 Mia Hobbs: Thank you, it's been a privilege. 853 00:53:38,840 --> 00:53:41,900 Thank you so much for listening to the Why I Knit podcast. If 854 00:53:41,900 --> 00:53:44,060 you'd like to find out more about therapeutic knitting, you 855 00:53:44,060 --> 00:53:47,990 can follow me on Instagram @knittingistherapeutic, or at my 856 00:53:47,990 --> 00:53:51,800 website therapeuticknitting.org, where you can also sign up to my 857 00:53:51,800 --> 00:53:56,030 newsletter to receive my blog on the themes from series one. If 858 00:53:56,030 --> 00:53:58,280 you're enjoying the podcast, I would really appreciate it if 859 00:53:58,280 --> 00:54:01,880 you could leave a rating and a review on your podcast app. This 860 00:54:01,880 --> 00:54:04,340 will help grow the podcast and let more people know about the 861 00:54:04,340 --> 00:54:06,890 therapeutic benefits of knitting. And don't forget to 862 00:54:06,890 --> 00:54:08,480 subscribe too. Thank you!