It's calming and a lot of things I can do automatically enough that I can actually do something when I'm not well enough to focus on anything I'm not used to doing. Like last Christmas I made patchwork tablecloths that took hours of work but it was so automatically done that it was almost soothing even though I was a complete mess. Knitting is the same way; I don't have to think, just knit.

However doing something new and complicated never happens unless my brain is able to focus somewhat.