Mia Hobbs: Hello and welcome back to series two of the Why I
Knit podcast. My name is Dr Mia Hobbs and I'm a clinical
psychologist who's passionate about knitting and its benefits
for our mental wellbeing. Each episode I interview a different
knitter about why they knit and how it benefits their mental
health. This week on the podcast, I'm joined by Nasreen
Imrit, also known as @sewcraftynaz on Instagram.
Nasreen is quite a new knitter but an experienced crocheter and
sewer and multicrafter.
Hi, Nasreen. Welcome to the podcast.
Nasreen Imrit: Hi, Mia. Thank you for inviting me on to the
podcast.
Mia Hobbs: You're very welcome. I'm delighted to have you! So
you are a multicrafter? And a relatively new knitter, is that
right?
Nasreen Imrit: Yes, that's right. My crafting journey
probably started when I was about 11/12, so starting
secondary school and doing Textiles, which was known as
Home Economics at the time. We had to make these aprons for the
next module, which was going to be Cookery. So we had to start
embroidering, to embroider something on the little pocket.
So that's how I discovered thread, and then started to do a
hand embroidery, and I really, really enjoyed it. And then I
think my dad noticed and was like, "Oh, what's this?" and I
said, "Oh, we have to embroider this thing", and then he... So
my mum passed away when I was really little, when I was five,
and she enjoyed crochet. She made mostly doilies and I think
she made a couple of shawls, so my father kept all those things
for when myself and my sister would be a bit older; we might
be interested. So that's how I discovered yarn and crochet. And
at the time, obviously there was the books that she had, and I
just picked up whatever crochet hooks she had, which were really
small ones because she was making more doilies and really
fine lace things.
Mia Hobbs: So was she using thread more than yarn?
Nasreen Imrit: Yeah, she actually had some fingering yarn
as well. And then I just picked it up and I thought, "Let's just
try this". And I remember the first things I made ended up
being tiny beanies for my Barbie dolls.
Mia Hobbs: Okay, wow!
Nasreen Imrit: Because I didn't know how to increase so I just
kept going in the round, so it became a little bowl. So I was
like, "Well, that could be a good little hat for my dolls."
So that's how I started to crochet. I made anything that
would work out through the bowl, because that's all I could do,
little baskets...
Mia Hobbs: Yeah, kids are so great at finding a use for
something. They've made something and they're going to
turn it into a thing. I found that in my knitting groups, as
well. They're really good at seeing the potential in
something that's an unusual shape.
Nasreen Imrit: Yeah they are, absolutely. And yeah, so that's
how I started crochet, then dabbled in lots of little
things, mostly cross stitch and embroidery. And then when I
started having my children, I started to crochet again and do
blankets and hats and things. But I probably took it bit more
seriously in the last few years, as the kids grew up a little.
I've just always wanted to keep trying new crafts and keep
trying new things. Cross stitch was a favourite for a while but
obviously the work's quite slow. And so then I discovered quicker
crafts, things like dot printing, screen printing (that
was a fad for a little while), so really transforming tote bags
and things like that. And then as I had children, they wanted
to get involved. "Come on, I'm going to come into your craft
room. What can I do?" And I'm like, "Oh, what can you do...?
Don't touch anything!" (Laughs) So that's been quite interesting
because it's helped me understand craft on many levels,
in terms of doing it for myself and how do I connect my children
with it. And so then obviously my next challenge was to learn
to knit. And for me it was just seeing jumpers like yours,
constantly, on Instagram! And I was like, "I want to make this!
I want to make this!" And although with crochet you can
kind of get a little bit close, you can't get that same effect
that you get with knitting.
Mia Hobbs: Yeah, it's the different kind of texture, I
suppose, of the fabric, isn't it?
Nasreen Imrit: So that was my main inspiration to learn to
knit. And then I somehow, in one of those competitions they have
in Instagram giveaways, won some circular needles and I was like,
"Ooh, I must start using them!" And so I kind of fell in and out
of love with it initially because I could do so many other
things quicker. I could crochet quicker, I could sew quicker.
But when I did start it, I actually found it quite
addictive because it was the use of both hands, which initially
was challenging as I kept dropping the left needle quite a
lot.
Mia Hobbs: Because you're used to just having one implement.
Nasreen Imrit: And I was like, "Oh no, oh no, oh no, I need to
save the stitches!"
Mia Hobbs: And I guess just one stitch, usually, with crochet as
Nasreen Imrit: That was it! You work stitch by stitch and you
well.
can stop your work, you can lose your crochet needle, it wouldn't
matter.
Mia Hobbs: I always lose my crochet hook, just in the sofa!
When we take the sofa cushions off, there's always a crochet
hook in there!
Nasreen Imrit: Yeah, likewise. So I think that that initially
felt a bit new to me, like, "Ooh, I can't just whip this up
really quickly, I have to really sit down and concentrate." But
Mia Hobbs: Oh, great!
once I kind of accepted it as a different craft - not because
Nasreen Imrit: It was a variegated yarn but I tried some
colourwork with yellow, because I was like, "No no no, that's
I'm a crocheter, I can just knit - I actually enjoyed it. So I
where I'm going, I want to do colourwork." And I actually
would do it more to relax rather than to produce something. I
made a phone sock as my first project, which I think I have
really enjoyed it! But then again, with lots of WIPs going
saved somewhere, with some scrap yarn, and I even tried some
on, I thought, "Okay, I will pick that up at some point when
colourwork on it.
I've got time." But then my mother-in-law came to stay with
us for a bit, to spend some time with us, and then she was like,
"Ooh, I've always wanted to learn to knit." And I was like,
"Okay, let's do it!" And we both sat down in front of the laptop
with YouTube on, and she took to it really quickly. She made a
mini thing, just garter stitch, that ended up being a little
neck wrap that you could wear if you're cold around the house,
and she really loved it. So I picked up knitting again, just
to do it together with her, and thought I was gonna make myself
a top. So that's still ongoing. I pick it up, put it down,
depending on whether I just need something to relax and not to
follow any pattern because it's just going to be a rectangle
really. But yeah, it's a slow start but I'm learning to see it
as very different from my other crafts that I do. I'm seeing it
more like cross stitch: I know there's going to be an end but I
enjoy just the bit that I'm doing at that time. I wasn't too
sure about it to start with but I think it's growing on me quite
nicely.
Mia Hobbs: There's so much I want to ask you about what
you've already said. You've had a slightly different journey to
many people because you've got quite good in other similar
crafts that are similar but a bit different, and I wonder
whether that just made you... Like, most new knitters wouldn't
even think about a colourwork sweater, probably, whereas I
wonder whether you felt like you had this springboard and you
almost had higher expectations of knitting to start with
because you already were really good at crochet, for example,
and maybe that was a tricky experience!
Nasreen Imrit: I think you're right because I started doing
Mia Hobbs: Oh, that's good!
colourwork in crochet. There's a stitch that actually resembles
knitting a bit, which is the centre stitch. So I started
doing some colourwork in crochet and I really, really enjoyed it.
And then I was like, "Ooh, now this is the next step", not
actually really appreciating that it is actually a complete
different skill. And I was like,"Yeah, if you can crochet
you will be able to knit really quickly". On Instagram,
obviously, I know a lot of crocheters-knitters and they
Nasreen Imrit: I know! He's like, "Oh, you're knitting!"
were like, "You'll be absolutely fine". And they've been really
really helpful with pointing me in the right directions, what
patterns to try first, etc. And I'm like, "No, I'm going for a
colourwork sweater!" (Laughs) But then I thought no, maybe a
hat, let's start with a hat. I think that that expectation was
what probably set me back initially, because I was like,
"It's yarn, it's two needles, I crochet, I should be able to do
"Yes I am!" (Laughs) It's something that I'm going to
it." But once I kind of set that aside, I realised actually I
enjoyed it so much more, and I accepted it as its own craft, as
its own skill. Even my husband can tell the difference between
knitting and crochet now!
develop more this year, I think. And yeah, let's watch this
space, see what I make!
Mia Hobbs: And I'm interested in the idea that you might have
different crafts that give you different things, like the idea
of having some times where you might need something that feels
more relaxing, and it's okay for it to be slow. And maybe there
are other times where you feel like, I need... I think you used
the words "quick fix" just before we started recording. I'm
interested in hearing a bit more about that, like how you decide
whether it's based on your mood, or what else is going on in your
life or...?
Nasreen Imrit: Yeah, so I find that each week, I need to make
something.
Mia Hobbs: Does it need to be finished, or just spend some
time making it?
Nasreen Imrit: No, just spend some time making it, but at
least it's tangible. It's a tangible progress. I work part
time, and the rest of the time is kids, etc. But then if I do
make something or make progress on something, it makes me feel
like, "Oh, yeah, I've done something for myself this week".
Mia Hobbs: So it feels like your thing, for you.
Nasreen Imrit: Yeah, it's my thing, for me. And sometimes
with large projects, even though I've done two or three rows, it
doesn't feel tangible because it's large, and it's going to be
ages before it's finished. So I have little quick projects, like
block printing which I quite like, and often, if I want to do
that in an evening, my boys will always come in, "Can I try it?"
And then they will use one of their old vests and they will
join in and print their vests.
Mia Hobbs: And how old are they?
Nasreen Imrit: They're seven and four. They just want to spend
that time, and then they will come in (and if one comes in,
the other one will come in). And I was like, "Okay, well find
some old vests and you can block print." And they block printed a
couple of vests, it was quite funny. I always have some spare
tote bags and scrap fabrics that are plain, so I'll block print
them. If it's a tote bag, that will probably be gifted at some
point. If it's a piece of fabric, then I know that I'll
probably use it to make a little pouch for something. And then
I'll be like, "Ooh, that feels finished." Or I will actually
look up a pattern and choose yarn for it and put it
separately so it'll make me feel like I've decided something or
I've made something. So my quick crafts tend to be things (like
with block printing) that are quite small, or I'll arrange all
my scraps to decide a project that I can use all my scraps
for. Or sometimes I'll make things that are just squares, so
crochet squares. If you made a square, that can take about 45
minutes, and then feel like, "Okay, I've added another square
to this project." So it would depend on the week that I've had
as to whether I need my quick fix. If I know I won't have much
time, got to wait in the car for somebody to finish something,
I'll just do a quick thing and then I'll be like, "Yep! Done
it. I'm okay now."
Mia Hobbs: Do you plan that quite deliberately, like to sit
and think what do I need right now? Do I need to have something
quick that I finish, or could I just do a couple of rounds on
this knitted thing?
Nasreen Imrit: I do think about it deliberately a lot more now.
When I used to work a lot more, I would find that the day that I
was off I'd be floating about just kind of doing the things
that needed to be done, and at the end of the day you just
still feel mentally tired, even though you've achieved quite a
lot. I wasn't consciously making time for that break, to think
how do I break away from work and everything else. So now,
towards the end of my working week (which is Wednesday) I will
actually think during my lunch break, "Okay, what do I feel
like this week?" and then I will know if I'm putting on too much,
"Okay, now I don't have to finish that, that can wait." So
I will deliberately make myself think, "Okay, I'll probably try
and finish a border on this. And actually, I'm not going to pick
up another new project, I'll try and finish this a little bit
longer. I'm a bit bored with this. Maybe I'll just put this
aside." So I'll talk myself through it for 10 minutes or so.
So then I actually do feel that when I've done it I'm like,
"Yeah, actually, that was alright." It was contained, it
was planned. I actually feel better that I've achieved what I
wrote down. So it's all that feeling of having made a list
and having achieved it as well.
Mia Hobbs: So you're quite goal-focused.
Nasreen Imrit: Yeah, I find that works better for me because I
have a lot of WIPs across all the crafts. So I can get lost
into it. I get distracted very quickly, so I've found that
helps keep me focused.
Mia Hobbs: Interestingly, Nasreen, no-one else has
mentioned school in their crafting origins story, which is
interesting. And certainly in my own experience, I'd kind of
almost forgotten I'd done Textiles at school because it
was so off-putting. (Laughs) The teachers were so scary that I
was 100% convinced I would sew through my finger on the
machine. I haven't done that yet! Similarly, making pastry:
also filled with terror. So that's interesting, actually.
Obviously there was enough good about it that it got you hooked,
actually. It was a positive experience for you.
Nasreen Imrit: Yes, it was. And I think because obviously, there
wasn't anybody who really did any crafts in the immediate
family, obviously I didn't know my mum, so I think for me it was
like a lightbulb moment. I was like, "Wow!" I grew up in
Mauritius for a bit, so that's where I'm from originally, and I
remember on the way back from school there was one little
embroidery shop, a craft shop, on the way home. And I would
save my pocket money and I would buy embroidery thread on the way
home. And I would buy a new colour each time. And those
moments still are quite vivid, because I would remember "Oh my
god, I've got so many shades of this one!" And I even made a
cross stitch for my brother when I was 15 because he travelled
and he was missing home, so I made him a little Home Sweet
Home cross stitch project. So the memories of that actually
are quite nice in the sense that I'm really glad I discovered it
through school.
Mia Hobbs: It sounds like it also was a really nice link to
your mum.
Nasreen Imrit: It was, and I think obviously having lost her
so young, we always found ways to reconnect with her. And she
was a baker, she crocheted, she sewed. I still have her books
from the 80s. I was looking at them the other day and was like,
"I should try and make something that doesn't look terribly
dated. There are some things I could probably make." And I
thought I might do that. So my dad said, "Okay, there you go."
So my sister's got the baking side of things. She loves baking
and decorating cakes. And I do more of the crafting, the sewing
and the crochet. So it was really, really nice to have that
connection and actually love crafting. My dad would always
tell me,"Your mum used to make that." And that was actually
quite nice to have that.
Mia Hobbs: And also special that he kept some of the things she
actually made and her crochet hooks.
Nasreen Imrit: Yeah, so I still have her crochet hooks and some
bits and bobs that she made. A lot of it used to be home decor
things, like little doilies and things like that. They've kept
really well, actually. So that was very precious. I guess
that's how my love for craft actually started, which is
really nice, and I carried on with it. And yeah, it's a big
part of my life, I would say.
Mia Hobbs: And that must be a special thing to share with your
kids as well, that they can see those things that their grandma
made.
Nasreen Imrit: That's it! Yeah, I was showing it to my daughter
the other day, and I was like, "Oh look, this is my mum's
book." She was like, "Oh, wow!" And she was amazed it wasn't in
black and white. I was like, "No, colour did exist!" (Laughs)
And we were looking at it, and obviously the patterns used to
be in these little foldable paper flyer type things when
they bought the patterns, and very brief. It's really
interesting to see how it was, you know, none of the yarns
exist anymore. It's really interesting. She was like, "Oh,
this one's cute. You could make that!" for one of my little
nieces. So it was really nice to show that, and also to pass on
the love of making to them as well, although they're
interested in different things. I find it's an integral part of
home, actually making, for us. Well, not my husband probably
but the rest of them! (Laughs)
Mia Hobbs: I suppose part of this podcast is about thinking
about how crafting can benefit our mental wellbeing, and that
those of us who do it a lot feel like we get lots of benefit on a
kind of wellbeing level from doing it. And I think there are
many ways you can interpret craft, like some people do Lego,
I had a client who was making circuit boards, doing all these
things I didn't understand. But the the feeling behind it, I
suppose, was very similar to the feeling I get from making
something from scratch, with yarn and needles or sewing a
dress or something. The idea of having something where the
outcome is not high stakes, nobody else cares about it, you
can kind of experiment or be creative and a safe place to
make mistakes, and that it's kind of just for you with no
other useful purpose, necessarily.
Nasreen Imrit: Absolutely. I noticed that with my daughter,
she's more into calligraphy, so she can sit there and will do
beautiful lettering, and she will apply that to her art or
her homework and things. So that's her thing. My middle one
will cross stitch. He actually asked me the other day... we've
run out of the size of the aida that he actually uses, and he
was like, "Can I do a cross stitch?" and I was like, "I
don't think we've got the size that you use, we have to get
some other ones." So it's a nice quiet space for him. And he'll
cross stitch mostly vehicles, but it doesn't matter. So he
cross stitches anything that he likes, and if he makes a
mistake, I'll say "It's alright! We'll just cut it and start
again." So he really, really likes it. And I think they've
noticed, especially my middle one, that if you need some quiet
time, that's a nice space for him to recharge, and feel that
this is something that's just his. He uses it a lot when he
feels like the world's getting too much or schools getting too
much and things like that. So he really does enjoy that. And you
won't hear him! He's the loudest, but you will not hear
him at all. And then he started sewing. So he's got interested
in sewing a little bit. He does keep coming into my room saying,
"What can we sew?", and I was like, "I don't have any boy
fabric anymore!." (Laughs) Because I bought some for their
room but they've used it all up. And I was like, "Well, I don't
have anything with cars or planets or dinosaurs anymore."
But yeah, I really love the way that they're all, in their own
way, discovering working with their hands a lot more and
creating things themselves actually.
Mia Hobbs: Yeah and it sounds like you really notice that
having an impact on them, that they kind of feel regulated and
calm when they're doing it.
Nasreen Imrit: They do. And I think it's really nice because
it's something that they've done and they've made; it's not just
their homework or their school activities, all these scripted
things. So things where they have a blank canvas and they can
go wild. They can decide what they want to make and what they
want to draw and what they want to write and things like that.
So I think that's quite important, especially during
lockdown when we couldn't go very far anywhere. It was
somewhere to actually explore, these avenues to think how can
they express themselves and find an outlet. And I think that was
really useful at the time.
Mia Hobbs: And I think with kids, they don't get that many
choices over things really, do they? Like they're told what
their English homework is and there's probably very little
scope for choice, and the older they get, probably the less
scope there is for choice, what they write about. So it's nice
for them to have a space to create something where they're
the boss.
Nasreen Imrit: Yes! Yeah, absolutely, and I think we
noticed that a lot more over lockdown. My daughter started
making little furniture out of paper. So she would have the
boxes of cardboard and she would make a little bedroom.
Everything was made out of tiny cardboard or paper. She'd make
this little scene. That's her idea of making. She's more pen
and paper now. And my son did the cross stitch. The little one
just kind of dabbles into everything at the moment. He's
not quite sure yet. They will come into my room and be like,
"Ooh, what can I have to put in my little project?" So I was
like, "Okay, you can have ribbons, you can have this, you
can have this." But yeah, I do think that it has a big, big
space for mental wellbeing, to promote mental wellbeing in all
children and adults.
Mia Hobbs: And it's a great thing to send them out into the
world with, isn't it, for the rest of their lives really, this
kind of little hidden superpower that when they need to feel
calmer, they can go and do that. Take themselves off. Certainly
at university, I hadn't discovered knitting then but I
did some cross stitch. I would go and secretly do it in my room
when everyone else was cramming and I'd had enough of revision (laughs).
Nasreen Imrit: Yeah, absolutely. And you reminded me actually...
I studied in Manchester at the same med school as Atia (Azmi).
There's lots of fabric shops there, so I remember buying
this piece of fabric that was enough to cover my single bed
but the weave was as such that you could cross stitch through
it. I had it on my bed and I decided that I would just add
little bits to it. So that's why I would take breaks from my
revision. I would go and say, "Oh, I'll make a little piece on
it." I don't have it anymore, I think. I'd put a little piece on
there and then I'd go back to my revision. So it was basically
several years of bits of cross stitch on it for a while. I
might be able to locate it. I can't remember where I've left it.
Mia Hobbs: Have you got a photograph? That sounds like an
amazing keepsake!
Nasreen Imrit: It does! I know that it's been around for ages.
I haven't seen it recently. We've moved a few times, so I
need to try and find it. Photos... it's going to be from
a very long time ago, probably not digital even.
Mia Hobbs: Yeah, that's the tricky thing, isn't it, with
pre-digital?
Nasreen Imrit: I'm going to try and find out if I can still see
it. I think I can still find it somewhere. But yeah, you just
reminded me of that. Yes, at uni...
Mia Hobbs: So were you crafting buddies, you and Atia?
Nasreen Imrit: For a little while. We spent three or four
weeks, I think, doing a project in Wales. So we went to Wales
together; there was me, her and another friend. And I remember
spending a lot of time in libraries looking at cross
stitch books and other craft books. So we would spend a lot
of our spare time being in the library and think, "Oh wow, look
at these patterns!" and things like that. So we spent that
three... I think it was three weeks, actually... three weeks
in Wales together, a good few years ago now. But we didn't do
much crafting together at uni as such. But I reconnected with her
a few years ago through Instagram. That's when I
discovered Instagram.
Mia Hobbs: I've had quite a few health professionals get in
touch with me who are knitters or crafters. Parlty maybe that's
because I am a psychologist and they're more attracted to the
idea of what I'm talking about. It was something I noticed when
I did salsa dancing years ago, that there were loads of doctors
there, and I suppose I developed this theory that being a doctor
is quite stressful and quite taxing on the brain, and that
maybe that means you need kind of an active way of turning off
your brain from your work. So the idea of dancing, I suppose
it's hard to think about anything else if you're trying
to coordinate what your feet and your hands are doing at the same
time. And I wondered also about craft, whether that's the
appeal: that it's quite an active way of switching your
brain off from other things and having this... I don't know...
escape. I don't know what your thoughts are.
Nasreen Imrit: Yeah, I would agree with you, because I would
remember the time where crafting was there but not a major part
of my life. So if I had a hard day, so probably at the
beginning, when I went into my first years as a doctor, I would
be so tired I'd probably spend the evening watching TV, but
that would not relax me at all. You think that if you empty your
brain, you're filling it with something else. And I think
after doing that for a while I did notice that actually I just
felt more and more tired, which is when then picking up a
craft... the fact that you're concentrating on it, reading a
pattern to it... you're actually actively emptying your mind of
the other things, rather than just blocking it and watching a
screen which obviously doesn't do that at all. So I do think
that it has that effect of cleansing your mind in the way
that you're concentrating on something repetitive, something
creative. And I do notice the difference after doing some
crafts if I've had a stressful day. So after finishing work,
catching up with everything I have to do, if I shut myself in
a room and decide to just crochet for a couple of hours or
even sew, I will notice the difference. When I come out I do
feel mentally refreshed in a way. So I yeah, I definitely
believe that it does actually healthily help you kind of
cleanse rather than forget. And at the same time you're creating
something. I think it does have a big part to play towards
preventing burnout for a lot of people who feel burnt out,
because it is difficult to switch off. Possibly from the
work that YOU do, as well: it's quite difficult to switch off
from the things that you have to listen to, you have to hear.
Even though you've got your professional hat on, you still
absorb it. You're still human, you still absorb it. And to
learn to let that go is necessary, I think. To have a
method of really switching off and recharging before the next
day or the next thing. So yeah, I'm a strong believer in that.
I'd go everywhere with my crochet stuff if I could!
(Laughs) Even when there's no time, I take it with me. You
never know, you might get stuck in traffic!
Mia Hobbs: Yeah, definitely. That's really interesting, the
idea about preventing burnout. I think burnout's an increasingly
big problem, isn't it, in the health service, certainly here.
And yeah, I resonate a lot with what you say about finding a way
of... I find sometimes I'm attracted to really complicated
patterns because, like you say, I want to absorb myself fully in
something so my brain can't be thinking about other things from
my day. But also the idea of having this kind of soothing
repetitive motion. It almost sounded like you get something
almost a bit rejuvenating from it, like that time you spend in
your craft room.
Nasreen Imrit: I do. It's like my little haven. I'm quite lucky
to have a space, and that the children know I'm generally off
limits. (Laughs) So on the days when they're at school and I'm
not at work, I will actually have the door closed and maybe
listen to something, maybe not, depending on whether I want
quiet. And it will just be like the best time in the world, just
making something. Over time, as I've learned to understand what
crafting means to me, I've realised actually I need it.
It's part of something that I need to be who I have to be, at
home at work, etc. rather than just being this thing that I do
because I enjoy it. I remember when I was cross stitching in my
late teens/early 20s, I used to get comments like, "Why are you
doing that? This is what old people do." They would say it in
a laughing way and it would be relatives. "Why are you doing
that? You should be going out!" And I'm like, "Well, I really
like it. I love watching this white fabric just burst with
colour, and I made this!" They wouldn't really understand it,
but I'm glad it's not something that anyone's been able to ever
take away from me, even from that age.
Mia Hobbs: Do you think you understood then? Because I think
certainly for myself, I don't think I really understood that I
needed it and that it was beneficial to my mental well
being until really relatively recently. Maybe the last five or
so years, I've really thought deliberately about what do I
need right now for me in terms of crafting, and just how
important it was to me. And I had certainly lots of those
comments about being an old lady and those kind of things at
university, when I was literally the only person doing cross
stitch or knitting. I'd be interested to hear about the
journey you've been on in terms of your understanding about how
much you've needed craft.
Nasreen Imrit: I would say in my early years I didn't link it to
my mental health as such. It was really just, "Mum used to do it.
I really want to do it." So I kind of grew into that. And then
I always just liked it. That was just it. I just liked thread and
I did it on and off, on and off, through uni as well. But I would
say in terms of benefit to my mental health, probably the last
four or five years, I would say. That's possibly because now my
youngest is four, so I was too busy to actually think about it.
And then recently, obviously now they're all a bit older, but
there is still lots more to do. I started thinking about it more
deliberately. As they get older their needs increase, and work's
been more stressful with Covid times, and I think that's made
me a lot more aware of it. It's gone from being a hobby to
something that's more therapy. When I discovered Instagram,
that was mad because I was like, "(Gasp) Look at all these
patterns! Look at all these people!" So that's how I learned
to sew, when I discovered Instagram, and I self-taught.
Mia Hobbs: And when you say sew, what do you mean by sewing? Is
that like machine-sewing or hand-sewing or...?
Nasreen Imrit: Yes, I do mainly machine-sewing.
Mia Hobbs: And is it clothes or...?
Nasreen Imrit: Yeah, so I made the dress that I'm wearing at
the moment. I do mostly clothes and I will make random things
for my children, like if they need a little bag I'll make them
pouches for things, clothes for their little teddies and stuff.
But then Instagram initially stressed me out because I had to
make everything that I saw. (Laughs) I had a bit of a
love/hate relationship with my craft, because it kind of tipped
into being this stressful thing from being this relaxing thing,
because there was always something that I had on my list.
The lists are still there but they don't stress me out so
much. I had to learn to tip that balance, that actually my craft
was to relax me not because I need to churn out three things
by the end of the week.
Mia Hobbs: It sounds like your automatic thing is kind of an
ambitious drive sensation of "Ooh, look at all these things!
I could make them." And I can hear the doctor in you there,
like the ambitious person wants to go for it, and that you've
kind of slowly reined that in into "No, this can be a bit more
about process and not just about achievement."
Nasreen Imrit: Exactly. And I think that's where knitting has
really come in, because obviously, as I've started to be
more mindful of what I'm doing, meditating, taking that time
out, the knitting actually fits in really nicely with that. You
enjoy the process of knitting because it's not one stitch at a
time; you've got to do a few rows before you can actually see
what you're doing and see what's come out. Whereas with crochet,
you've done a few stitches, "Oh yeah, I can see, yeah that's
going to look like that for the next..." But with knitting, you
have to be patient with it for a bit before you can actually
understand. So that's where I was just thinking actually,
yeah, I'm ready to start to take this on. But yeah, the last
couple of years, as I've taken sewing and crochet and now
knitting more seriously, I've had to find my balance between
wanting to make everything that exists and, you know, having a
sweater like yours (which I will get to one day!) to actually
just putting it back and making sure that my craft doesn't
become like everything else that I have to do. So that's been
very interesting. And it sounds
Mia Hobbs: And it sounds like now, Nasreen, it's very much
part of a deliberate part of your self-care strategy.
Nasreen Imrit: Yeah, absolutely. So, for example, normally if I
make something I would say, "Okay, I'm going to follow this
pattern and then I'm going to make it." Because I know it will
only take me two days to make it, for example a sewing
pattern. But when I sit and think about it, what I really
want to do is I want to create. So I know that actually I don't
like this bit of it, but I'd like to add some applique to it;
I could even add some crochet to it. If I gave myself that little
bit of time to think, I would come up with something that I'd
absolutely love because I took the time and I was mindful about
it. So I'm learning to do that a little bit more, rather than
just think, "Yeah, I made it." And I'm finding that initially
challenging, but I'm getting better at it. So I can let
something sit for a while and think, "Actually, let me come
back when I feel that I really love what I'm doing right now,
and it is me" rather than "I've done this pattern. There you go,
guys. Look, I made it."
Mia Hobbs: Do you feel like it's more rewarding when you do it
the second way? Slower and slightly more creative, giving
yourself time to have those ideas in the first place?
Nasreen Imrit: I do. I've made a couple of pieces of clothing
like that, a dress that I made with an old shawl... So that
shawl was a beautiful shawl I bought from India. For some
reason I decided to put it on a surface. I put candles on,
didn't put a plate, the candles kind of ruined some of it. It
was so beautiful, I kept the part that was still okay. And
then I decided to incorporate it as part of a dress, but
obviously I had to redesign the dress slightly to make it work.
It took me longer but when I look at it, I love it so much
more because I was like "Okay, it is exactly as I wanted it to
be." So I'm learning to do that a little bit more, rather than
just say, "Yep, made this pattern, made this one, made
this one".
Mia Hobbs: And there'd be none others in the entire world that
are exactly the same as yours.
Nasreen Imrit: Exactly. So yeah, my relationship with craft has
evolved through the years to somewhere where I think I wanted
to be.
Mia Hobbs: And how about your relationship with the finished
objects? I don't know whether there's anything about that that
still gives you kind of therapeutic value. For example,
like today you're wearing a dress you made; does that make a
difference to your mental health on a daily basis, do you think?
Nasreen Imrit: Now it does! When I first started, I didn't like
the things I made! I don't know whether I was just too self
critical, or is it that perfectionist in me that, you
know... It wasn't quite... It was a bit rough round the edges.
So I remember with first few things I made, I'd be like,
"Hmm, I'll wear that thing that I bought instead." But now, most
days I will wear something that I made. And it just gives you
that sense of warmth that nothing else tends to. And I'm
like living in this dress at the moment because it's warm. And
I'm like, "Ooh, should I buy some more fabric the same and
just make a top? Because it's actually quite nice and warm."
And I'll add pockets to designs that do not have pockets,
because we all need pockets all the time. But generally, I
notice myself sometimes, I'll be like, "Oh, am I wearing anything
I made today?" and usually there would be one item. And I don't
find myself buying clothes anymore, much. I will look, but
generally if I'm browsing online I'm taking pictures of what
people are wearing! I'm like, "Oh, I could make this!" rather
than actually buying it. But yes, it does make me feel more
confident, and it's like a silent confidence that yeah, you
know, I made this and I'm comfortable in this, and it's
me.
Mia Hobbs: And do people around you know? Like people at work,
do they know about that side of you and notice if there's
something you've made, or think that you might have made it?
Nasreen Imrit: Yes, at work there's a few of my colleagues
who do know that I make things. So every now and then they will
look at me like "Did you make that?" And sometimes it'll be
yes, sometimes it'll be no, because sometimes they can't
tell!
Mia Hobbs: No, with sewing I think it's harder to tell, isn't
it? Whereas with a knitted jumper, it probably looks more
obviously hand-knitted.
Nasreen Imrit: Yeah, it looks more handmade. So they do
comment on it. And I've made a few things for a couple of
people at work as well. So they do know that I make it. I was
Mia Hobbs: People ask me about knitted things, but the hourly
making something at work the other day. We had a training
afternoon over Zoom, and one of my colleagues came in. She was
like, "Are you making that? Are you selling it?" And I said, "I
haven't thought about it yet!" She was like, "Well, if you're
not doing anything about it, I'll buy it, I'll buy it!"
(Laughs) I find that really hard. I've never thought of
selling things I make!
rate would be 0.00p! (Laughs) So it's not something I'm
interested in.
Nasreen Imrit: That's the thing! I was speaking to my husband
about it and I said, "I wouldn't know what to sell this for,
because the amount of time I've spent on it... people won't be
willing to pay what it's worth!" So yeah, my crafting bug or
obsession (whichever one!) is generally well known. Family as
well - they will always ask me, "What are you making?" But yeah,
it's part of me now, and I'm kind of glad it's not this thing
that old people make. And you know, I've found a lot more
confidence in it, that actually I'm glad I did it. I'm glad I
discovered it when I did.
Mia Hobbs: And did it help finding other similar people on
Instagram, as in people who were younger? Certainly when I
discovered Instagram, which was long after I started to knit, I
felt like I'm not the only person my age who's doing this,
and found more patterns that were more things I would be
interested in wearing, for example.
Nasreen Imrit: My sister asked me to go on Instagram and I was
like, "Nah, I don't see why I would." And then I decided to,
about three years ago, and then I developed a lot more as a
crocheter and a sewer at that point, because I discovered
everything: all the indie sewing designers, all the beginner
patterns. And then I started doing colourwork in crochet
which are things that I hadn't ventured into before. I started
doing tapestry; I designed a blanket then a cushion about
three years ago. I've designed several things. I have too
many... I get distracted too easily. I haven't followed
through into publishing them. I've got about two or three
other things that I've made and designed but not written up or
released, so that might come one day.
Mia Hobbs: Yeah? That's exciting!
Nasreen Imrit: I've met designers as young as 15 on
Instagram who are so so talented, yarn dyers and stuff,
and it's been such an amazing space to find other people who
do what I do. Because before that I was the only one who did
what I did. Which is fine... everyone's like, "Oh you do
this!" but now it's like no no no, ALL these people do this.
There's a whole world out there! So yeah, it's an app where I've
learned so much. So so much. And I still keep learning. But I've
certainly learned so much from all the people I've come across
online. You help each other. You know, they've tested my pattern,
I've tested patterns for a lot of people, so made some nice
Insta friends. I made face masks for them during the pandemic, at
the beginning. So yeah, it's been really lovely to build that
community.
Mia Hobbs: I'd love to hear about a significant project. It
doesn't have to be knitting; it could be crochet or any other
craft. I don't know if you can think of something that stands
out as being a kind of significant project for you.
Nasreen Imrit: I have a couple. So I have one that I made. It's
upstairs. It's actually made on a canvas. It was the last one I
made before I had children, and it was made with scraps from a
cushion cover. It was a combination of... so if you
imagine a large rectangular canvas, and it has fabric stuck
on it with a ribbonwork and embroidery and paint. So then I
painted in Arabic on it. So it was just a massive combination
of loads of different crafts, and that was like the biggest
thing I made for the house. Apart from that, I'd probably
say the things that I make for my children. So they all have
this little teddy that's exactly the same. My daughter had it,
and by the time we realised she was so attached to it we bought
a spare, just in case she ever lost it. She never lost it, so
then the second one got the teddy. And then when we had a
third, we were like, "Well, he's going to be left out!" Every so
often I have to renew their outfits. They have mini jackets
- crochet jackets - and I think that's the thing that's just the
most loved. So they will put their jackets on in winter; in
summer they're hot so they'll take their jackets off. So their
jackets go on and off, and then after a few years my daughter
was like, "We need to make a new jacket. This is just getting
really tatty." So they will choose their yarn, and it's a
good way to use up scraps. That will be the thing that is hugged
the most, all the time. So I think that's probably my nicest
project that I've made, the things that I've made for them.
Or the blankets. I've made a few blankets for them. It'll always
be dens, but it's the fact that they choose those blankets to
make the dens with, and they know that I made it for them.
And then they will always proudly say, "Oh my mum made
this!" "No no no, that's my blanket!" you know, if somebody
else touches them. "That's my one, go and touch the one that
my mum made for you." So, you know, they really find it
something quite precious. So I'd probably say those are my most
significant makes in that sense.
Mia Hobbs: Yeah, so the family connection is really special.
Oh, that's amazing. I always end with asking: what's the greatest
gift that craft has given you for the rest of your life?
Nasreen Imrit: I would say connection, because I guess
that's how my relationship with craft started, was trying to
connect with my mum's memory and what she did. And then obviously
moving into kind of connecting with myself, and then connecting
with other people through the web, and then finding a
different way to connect with my children and passing that on to
them. So my middle one who loves crafting is waiting for me to
make a next... we make little reels about how to do easy
things... so easy projects. So he's looking forward... I told
him we'll try and make another one this weekend. So I get to
have a one to one time with them, with something that they
enjoy. And it's always something crafty. So I think that that
connection and that love that's been passed on - I think that
would probably be my main takeaway, my main connection
(I'm using the word connect again!) to crafts. It's what
links me to it that's the strongest thing, I would say.
Mia Hobbs: Yeah, that's really special. And it's really
interesting that you said it's connection in your family, but
also to yourself... like feeling really you.
Nasreen Imrit: Yeah! It's so versatile because you can have
it be something that's completely your own, but it can
also be something that creates friendships and creates... You
know, like the other day we were talking about health and
wellbeing at work, and I was saying to one of my colleagues,
"How about if we started to teach crochet and stuff?" She
was like, "Yes, yes, yes, yes!" Not sure how it's going to
materialise but it's something that we would like to try and do
and see if people are interested to learn crafting - different
types of craft to promote health and wellbeing at work.
Mia Hobbs: I think it's such a lovely... I mean, I did it for a
few... it wasn't deliberately for that but I had a colleague
who had twins and they were very special babies (long-awaited and
two of them) and lots of people came up to me and said "I know
you knit. Can you help me knit a cardigan for these babies?" and
I was thinking, "The last thing these poor children need is 15
half-knitted holey cardigans in the same size!" (laughs) and I
was like, "This is what we're going to do: I'll buy yarn, you
can knit squares, or crochet squares, and I'll crochet them
together to make blankets." Because that's easier,
obviously, than doing the shaping and everything, for
people who were... some of them were rusty knitters, some of
them were completely new to knitting. But actually it was
lovely! Often on a Friday, and it was just a very short amount
of time, like half an hour, where we'd go in the staff room,
and I could help people with various dropped stitches and
things, and some people did crochet, some people did
knitting, but it really did give people a... Like lots of people
commented on having that little space, because so many people
were just eating at their desks (me included!) and we had some
different conversations about, you know, family stories about
knitting and crochet. And I got to know people in a different
way, who I didn't really know much about their personal life.
It was really a boost to team morale, I think.
Nasreen Imrit: I think you're absolutely right, and that comes
back to the whole connection thing,. You know, the people we
work with, we just talk about work. But to have a space which
is away from that and be able to talk to them and to have a chat
with them on a different level completely is just too rare, I
think.
Mia Hobbs: And just to give them that skill, like you've done
with your kids, to give them this kind of therapeutic
potentiaI, I suppose, that they can whip out on a bus or at home
or wherever they need to.
Nasreen Imrit: Absolutely. And I do wish that there are things
like that, that are more widely available in terms of helping to
promote mental wellbeing, that is available at the moment for
people. And I don't know, maybe that will come on the NHS that's
more available for people, because I think there's a lot of
people that I see that I think could benefit from something
like that. But it's very difficult for me to say it when
there is nowhere to actually provide it. Yeah, so you never
know.
Mia Hobbs: I mean, that's one of my hopes for the podcast, and my
kind of project in general. But I think it's tricky finding the
money and the people to value it enough to pay for it and to give
staff the time to do it also. Nasreen, it was an absolute
pleasure to hear your wonderful stories and to hear all your
insights on craft. So thank you so much for coming on the
podcast. If people want to follow you on Instagram or find
out more about your makes, how would they do that?
Nasreen Imrit: So I am on Instagram, and my handle is
@sewcraftynaz. That's where you will find me and all my makes
and half-makes and everything else (laughs).
Mia Hobbs: And is it sew as in sewing? S-E-W?
Nasreen Imrit: S-E-W crafty Naz with a Z, as one word. But yes,
that's where you'll find my creative corner. But thank you
so much for having me on! I've really enjoyed it. This is my
first podcast, so I'm very honoured that it's yours. So
that's really lovely.
Mia Hobbs: Thank you, it's been a privilege.
Thank you so much for listening to the Why I Knit podcast. If
you'd like to find out more about therapeutic knitting, you
can follow me on Instagram @knittingistherapeutic, or at my
website therapeuticknitting.org, where you can also sign up to my
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subscribe too. Thank you!