H eadlines
Knitting Nonprofit Promotes Healing,
One Stitch at a Time
L OCA L
SOPHIE PANZER | JE STAFF
ELLEN RUBIN KNOWS
knitting is often thought
of as a hobby for the elderly,
but she believes the craft has
something to offer everyone.

“I like to think of myself
as the Pied Piper of the thera-
peutic benefits of knitting and
crochet,” she said. “It helps
with stress, anxiety, depres-
sion, PTSD, drug addiction,
alcohol addiction and more.”
Her passion for the fiber
arts led her to open her
store, Luv2Knit & More, in
Jenkintown in 2017. Last July,
the 52-year-old started her
nonprofit, Therapeutic Crafters
on Call, to educate volunteers
to lead their own knitting and
NG !
SI NO
W EN
OP LE
A S
EL OD
M Name: Residences at The Promenade
Width: 5.5 in
Depth: 7.38 in
Color: Black plus one
UPPE R DU BLI N
Comment: JE-ROP
Ad Number: 00093515
crochet classes.

Rubin’s fascination with
knitting’s therapeutic benefits
stems from her career as a
scientist; she worked as an
immunologist for pharmaceu-
tical firms. When a difficult
pregnancy put her on bed rest
21 years ago, she taught herself
to knit.

She kept her needles moving
through the illness of a close
UPSCALE LIVING
STEPS ABOVE IT ALL!
Designed with luxury in mind, The Residences at the Promenade
off er lavish apartments situated above a beautiful town center.

• Park Trails
• Dog Parks & Washrooms
• Bocce Court
• Pool with Sundeck
• Fitness Center • Media & Game Rooms
Amenities too many to mention!
• Clean Juice
• Sprouts Farmers Market
• lululemon
• Fine Wine and Good Spirits!
And Other Fine Stores & Restaurants
Welsh & Dreshertown Roads • Dresher, PA
833-238-1100 ResidencesUD.com
A Bruce E. Toll Community
6 FEBRUARY 25, 2021
JEWISH EXPONENT
Ellen Rubin in her store, Love2Knit & More
friend and during a grueling
divorce, finding solace in the
meditative activity. She began
teaching others and saw how
it helped them work through
their struggles with anxiety,
stress and pain.

She taught a friend who
had major surgery and said
it helped her through the
recovery process when reading
and even watching TV were
difficult. She volunteered to
lead an enrichment program
for second-graders and saw
how it soothed children coping
with emotional issues. She led
workshops in her store and at
community centers for fatigued
health care workers, foster
Courtesy of Ellen Rubin
children, children with autism,
deaf and blind learners, mater-
nity patients and others, while
collecting journal articles and
studies about knitting’s ability
to help people manage pain
and stress.

So what is it about knitting
that makes such a differ-
ence? Rubin claims it helps
the brain produce dopamine
and serotonin, hormones that
create a sense of pleasure and
relaxation. “It’s not exclusive to
knitting, certainly. You get into
this meditative state with other
things that could be drawing
or gardening, but what’s great
about knitting and crochet
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM