How an addicted screens is getting hooked on knitting and sewing

“That’s fashionable.” Sure? Hobbies and craft techniques that until very recently considered outdated now a Second golden age Thanks to the sum of a series of factors: the need for digital disconnection, the dissemination of its practice thanks to (paradoxically) Internet and the recovery of the legacy of previous generations. Thanks to that, crochet, sewing and ceramics, among other hobbies, live a second youth.

What’s happening. Many twenty They are recovering Manual hobbies, such as painting ceramic, embroidered or knitting. The workshops and meetings where young people share techniques and results proliferate (for example, in 2025 the fair Love Yarn Madrid It was consolidated as the largest in Europe dedicated to wool, crochet and crochet, with 14,000 square meters of exposure, more than 120 international exhibitors and more than 60 workshops, of which more than 50 are specifically dedicated to these techniques, and whose entries are exhausted with weeks in advance).

In a trend driven by the attractiveness of the artisanal, the sustainability and the therapeutic value of the crafts. Social networks and platforms such as Pinterest and Tiktok They also play a key role spreading ideas and tutorials. And there is already a sphere of influencers and creators of content dedicated to the subject: they are people like mindfulmantra_embroidery, Yolanda Andrés, Sarah K. Benningor the original Cristina Chachewhose followers are counted by millions.

The boom, in numbers. Some figures that testify to this resurgence are at the value of the world market of crafts, of 50.9 billion dollars in 2024. ETSY, without a doubt a good thermometer of interest in these issues as it is the center of purchase and sale of manufactured products, registered in 2022 gross sales of 11.8 billion dollars, with 94 million buyers and 7.3 million sellers. In 2020, year of pandemic, The Guardian detected an increase of 140% of people who were encouraged To start with the crocheta total of One million people in the United Kingdom. For the future, A Technovio report He estimates that the global fabric and crochet market will grow by 10,690 million dollars between 2024 and 2028.

What gives us psychologically. There are many reasons that explain the resurgence of these trends, but one that covers all the others It is the search for authenticity that seems lost in modern times. Articles like this one of The Wall Street Journal They call the trend Granny Core (referring to the fact that they seem grandmother’s hobbies) and collect statements from twenty people who underline the disconnection of digital and the pleasure of preparing handmade pieces as keys to this resurgence.

The genuine. In front of the uniformity of industrial products, handmade objects They represent the genuine and the exclusivesince each piece has its own process. These activities do not require large investments and allow to experience, learn and improve skills, which reinforces self -esteem and the feeling of self -sufficiency. Recent medical studies They talk about how “participation in artistic and craft activities provides significant benefits” and even qualifies it as “accessible and affordable tool for public health.”

Digital disconnection is key. All states of mental peace that we point out above are under the same umbrella: that of the Digital disconnection. In a life saturated with screens And digital stimuli, crafts offer a path to disconnect and reduce stress. Medical studies like this Mental Health Center in San Diego They list the benefits of disconnection and specify that “creative hobbies such as painting or crafts” are analog entertainments that should be cultivated.

Activities such as embroidered, painting ceramic or weaving encourage creativity and concentration (something that goes in the direction opposed to the effect that generate social networks), and generate a sense of achievement and purpose, which contributes to greater personal satisfaction and emotional well -being.

Return to the past. There is a key element in crafts and is the connection with our past, an element of generational transmission that had been lost in the digital age. Learning these techniques allows the twenties to connect with their family and cultural roots. We talk about something that goes beyond mere technical learning: It implies sharing time and experiences with older relatives, creating memories and strengthening family identity. Events like the European Artistic Crafts Daysunder the motto “The Golden Thread” underline precisely how crafts acts as an invisible thread that unites past and present.

Return in trends. In the fashion industry, so often marked by rapid consumption and lowering costs, Embroidery or crochet resurgence It is a turn (with its obvious and consequent commercial load) towards the artisanal and sustainable, aspects highly valued by certain sectors of consumers. Manual techniques lead what is known as Slow Fashionmovement that promotes the consumption of clothing in an ethical and conscious way, and among its defenders there are names as relevant in the industry as Dior, ValentinoBatsheva there is or Ganni.

Photo of Anya Chernik in Unspash

But … And the people? People consume fashion and at the same time influences itthat’s why it is not surprising that the general public has also begun to make crochet and embroidery. If it was before the egg (the industry) or the chicken (consumers) in this return to the seamstress tradition it matters well little, but we can set a key moment to get fashionable again at the user level: Pandemia and confinement. Movement restrictions, the need to learn new skills and hobbies, the search for relaxing activities and the redoubled importance of social networks and online communities to forge and strengthen friendships made the rest.

Encourage and click. What also led to the pandemic was a resurgence of domestic businesses of handmade clothing. Through Platforms like ETSYwithout a doubt the most widespread, but also through social networks such as Instagram, second -hand sale platforms such as Wallapop or Vinned and simple systems to mount rudimentary stores, such as Shopify, thousands of people were launched. The swings in the traditional employment market led to this resurgence of self -employment through crafts, which in turn later impacted the industry: HE revalued crafts And author fashion, influenced consumer trends And above all, consumer perception was changedmore related to fashion made by hand.

Header | Photo of Tanaphong Toochinda in Unspash

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