Handicrafts are totally trendy
Destressing with crochet
Door Mai Tenhunen
By Mai Tenhunen
Mai Tenhunen
Zeynep Taylar (22) from Turkeypsychology student
Zeynep’s love for crocheting was sparked by the internet and an encounter with a kind yarn shop employee. ‘I took a picture from Pinterest and went to the yarn shop to ask what I needed to make it.’
Instead of just pointing her to the right yarn, the employee sat her down and began teaching Zeynep how to crochet. ‘I didn’t have anything else to do, and I guess she didn’t either—it was a nice shared experience, very wholesome.’
It is nice to reflect on your emotions in a creative way
She started out ambitious, wanting to make her own clothes. ‘That was driven by the fact that everything is so expensive.’ She has made a lot of sleeves, some shirts, and mandalas that she hangs on her walls. ‘But it takes so much time to make clothes, I usually stick to the small stuff.’
She believes she now knows more people who crochet than those who don’t. Even if not everyone is an active or advanced crocheter, most people have at least tried it at some point, she thinks. ‘I think Covid had a lot of influence. It became a trend because no one had anything to do at home, so a lot of people learned how to crochet then.’
For Zeynep, the fun of crocheting is more about the process than the product. ‘You don’t think that much when doing it. You put your emotions into it—if you are angry or something, it is nice to reflect on your emotions in a creative way, by working with your hands. It makes me calmer.’
Aya Farhat (21) from Ukraineinternational relations master student
For Aya, crocheting is relaxing: ‘Crocheting works as a kind of stress ball for me. I usually do it while I’m watching something, and it’s very stress-relieving’, she says.
It’s also a way to give gifts with a purpose to friends. ‘It’s more sentimental to give something you made yourself’, she says. She often crochets handkerchiefs and scarves, and once even a blanket. ‘But most often keychains, because they’re fast and easy to make.’
I usually do it while I’m watching something
Even though she’s not striving to turn crocheting into a side hustle as some do, or even to learn very advanced patterns, she will occasionally turn to YouTube to master a new technique. ‘If I’m motivated, I can spend hours trying to learn it’, she says.
She learnt to crochet from her mum, who taught her the basic pattern when she was in middle school. ‘And she learned it from her mother, who would crochet and bead a lot.’ There’s also a cultural aspect to crocheting for Aya: ‘In the south of Ukraine, where we’re from, everyone is very handy, and at least the ladies would always try to learn some craft because it is grounding to do things with your hands.’
Genevieve Geehan from Australiascience and engineering researcher
Genevieve Geehan, a visiting researcher at the Faculty of Science and Engineering, has been crocheting since she was a teen. Her mum taught her to knit, and the bridge to crocheting was not hard to find. ‘I wanted to make a hat, and crocheting was a better way to do that.’
She is still more of a knitter at heart, but crocheting is sometimes more rewarding. ‘The projects are small, so you actually finish something.’
I intend to make gifts, but I get attached to the things I make
And, she says, the clothes she makes are better than most of the stuff you find at chain-stores. ‘When you use good quality wool, the whole item is of good quality and will last a long time. It just feels extra special. ‘
There is also a downside to this, however: ‘I intend to make gifts for people, but the problem is that I get attached to the things I make, so sometimes I just keep them.’
Genevieve likes crocheting particularly as a social hobby. She is part of a crocheting group, and frequently meets up with people just to crochet. ‘I try to get my friends to do it, and often I crochet or knit with my mum. And sometimes we do little craft hangouts with relatives, which is really wholesome.’
If she’s not with others, she also crochets to relax. ‘If I am watching TV or something, it helps me to listen better when I crochet and have something to do with my hands.’ It’s also a good way to beat a phone addiction, she thinks. ‘Crocheting keeps your hands busy, so you literally can’t scroll.’
Cléophée Caillet (23) from Denmark/Francepsychology student
‘I remember reading in magazines back in 2021 about how crocheting was becoming a big thing’, says Cléophée. ‘I’m not a person who follows trends, so I thought, maybe I’ll become interested in it in three years, when it dies down.’
It didn’t take that long, though. An enthusiastic friend introduced her to crocheting during her first year at university. ‘I always thought I wouldn’t have the patience for it, but then I tried it and it was great. It helps you put your thoughts to the back of your mind. And I noticed I had really missed doing creative stuff.’
This is an activity you can always go back to
It’s become a normal sight seeing students take their needles out in lectures to crochet or knit, she says. Cléo remembers a conversation with her grandmother, who found it funny that crocheting is all the rage among young people. ‘It’s usually seen as an old lady thing.’
But Cléo thinks it’s nice that people are getting back into handicrafts. It’s part of a wider phenomenon, she believes: ‘Buying second-hand and making everything yourself has become more popular, and that’s also why crocheting has made a return. A lot of trends are about doing things yourself.’
What helps, she says, is that it’s an easy hobby to get into. ‘People sometimes think it’s hard, but you can learn it from YouTube and you can make really nice things from simple stitches.’
Don’t be discouraged if at some point you – like many crocheters – have piles of unused yarn and unfinished projects lying around, Cléo says: ‘I also often start something and don’t finish it, but then you can just start again. This is an activity you can always go back to, it doesn’t have to be regular.’