The story behind Nourish Nurture Knit

What started as a love of knitting became something much bigger.

Here's how that journey led to the patterns I design, the community I'm building and the belief that knitting is about far more than what we make.

It took me years to realise why I love to knit

Hi, I'm Clare, knitting pattern designer and founder of Nourish Nurture Knit.

If you've ever found yourself reaching for your knitting after a busy day, taking it on holiday, carrying it to appointments or if you've ever felt happier after knitting a few rows than after casting off, you'll already understand why I created Nourish Nurture Knit.

It wasn't always obvious to me, though.

Long before knitting became my favourite hobby, I spent years making handmade cards and beaded jewellery. At the time, I simply thought I enjoyed being creative. Looking back now, I can see those hobbies were giving my busy mind somewhere else to be after long days in a demanding job.

Then, after moving house in 2007, I needed a hobby that could survive the dust and disruption of a major renovation. So I picked up the knitting needles my gran had introduced me to about twenty years earlier. Knitting could be tucked into a simple zip-lock bag, carried from room to room and picked up whenever I had a few spare minutes.

I was hooked!

(And yes, I do sometimes secretly wish I'd taken up crochet instead, just so I could honestly say I was hooked! 😊)

What I understand now about knitting

That's why you'll hear me say that knitting is about far more than what we make. Looking back, I can see that it always has been.

It would take me many more years to realise it had never really been "just knitting". In fact, none of those creative hobbies were "just hobbies". I simply didn't have the words for what they were were giving me.

After leaving my corporate role to retrain, I've spent almost two decades working in roles centred around health and wellbeing. These days, I spend my working life in workplace mental health, helping organisations create healthier places to work. That role has given me an even greater appreciation for the importance of making time for the things that help us switch off, recharge and reconnect with ourselves.

Knitting isn't a cure for stress, and it isn't a replacement for professional support when it's needed. But it has become one of the ways I look after myself. It's where my thoughts slow down, my creativity comes to life and the outside world becomes a little quieter for a while.

Why I created Nourish Nurture Knit

When I started Nourish Nurture Knit, I didn't just want somewhere to share my knitting patterns.

I wanted to create the sort of place I would have loved to discover myself.

A place that celebrates creativity without pressure.

A place that understands life is busy.

A place where unfinished projects aren't failures, casting on something new is perfectly acceptable and knitting is valued for everything it brings to our lives, not just the finished object.

That's why you'll find knitting patterns designed for real life, thoughtful blog articles, a welcoming community and a membership built for people who believe knitting is about more than making things.