A national resurgence in interest in knitting and other handicrafts is taking shape, rivaling yoga, meditation, and other forms of stress management and relaxation — even among younger women and some men.

The Craft Yarn Council reports that a third of women ages 25 to 35 now knit or crochet, while some men and schoolchildren are also swelling the ranks, The New York Times reports.

Last April, the council sponsored a “Stitch Away Stress” campaign in honor of National Stress Awareness Month. Dr. Herbert Benson, a pioneer in mind/body medicine and author of “The Relaxation Response,” says that the repetitive action of needlework can induce a relaxed state not unlike the mindset induced by meditation and yoga.

Knitting and crocheting can also lower heart rate and blood pressure and reduce harmful blood levels of the stress hormone cortisol, he says.

But unlike meditation, craft activities produce useful products that can enhance self-esteem, as well.

Since the 1990s, the council has surveyed knitters and crocheters, who routinely list stress relief and creative fulfillment as the activities’ main benefits.

Some research suggests such craftwork helps control their weight, in part because it is challenging to eat and snack when hands are busy knitting.

What’s more, new research suggests that crafts like knitting and crocheting may help to stave off a decline in brain function with age. A 2011 study by Mayo Clinic investigators found people who engaged in crafts like knitting and crocheting had a diminished chance of developing mild cognitive impairment and memory loss.