A few days before Christmas, my 10-year-old came to me with an unusual request—she wanted what all the other girls in her class had: a crochet kit. If you are a parent to a tween today, chances are you’ve already debated which beauty buy on her wishlist you want to give in to: Laneige lip balms, Sol de Janeiro mists, or all the new things they are now peddling as Gen Alpha skincare. So, an inexpensive hobby set with no screen time was the kind of demand I was only too happy to get behind.
“It seemed really fun. I saw my friend doing it, and I also wanted to make things that I could give to my friends and family,” my daughter, Vedika, told me about her new obsession. Ever since she’s got her tools—quality yarn, a 4 mm needle, and a sewing hook—she’s been trying to get deeper into the technique and rhythm.
What may seem like pure nostalgia to us is, in fact, a wider cultural shift. Gen Alpha’s pursuit of granny hobbies is possibly a reaction to watching their millennial parents fry their brains on the internet. Were they choosing to go analogue in their free time of their own free will or were they simply taking after their Gen Z predecessors, who have made analogue mainstays—crochet clubs, pottery classes, and vinyl listening—legit Saturday night plans. But most importantly, could parents finally breathe a sigh of relief instead of catastrophising the frightening consequences of raising a digital-native generation for whom AI and chatbots are the norm?
Nitara, my daughter’s classmate, was the first in their group to pick up the crochet hook over six months ago. “I love craft, bedazzling, and digital art. I wanted a way to relax and also express myself creatively. I was intrigued by how a simple hook and yarn can create something beautiful,” shares the waist-high fifth grader about her slow pastime.
Another school mom told me about the knitted chains and flowers that her daughter has been crafting. “I research videos from Elyse Crochet and Sierras Stitches to find beginner-friendly projects,” explains her daughter Hrithika, and I can’t help but share this with my daughter like I have found crochet’s Cliff Notes.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, age-old crafts like crocheting and knitting saw a resurgence in popularity, as people looked for ways to ease anxieties, exacerbated by being cooped up at home and the constant influx of bad news. But to see this trickle down to this generation, years later, comes as a surprise. The only time I did any needlework (and that too grudgingly) was when we were assigned it for our Home Economics class. According to the BBC, the number of adults doing needlework has risen as a way to stop doomscrolling and to reduce cortisol, so maybe it’s the millennial cue to break out the embroidery hoops and thimbles.
Today, Mumbai kids are not the only ones switching off from screens. In Sewing Is Cool Again, writer Alisha Haridasani Gupta takes us inside The New York Sewing Center, where tweens, college graduates, and schoolteachers congregate to spend their summers learning to make a tote or something wearable. In Bengaluru, every weekend, school-goers and retirees touch grass and experiment with amigurumi as part of Cubbon Knits. Ironically going viral on the internet is content creator Sierra Campbell’s concept of the “analogue bag”, literally a bag filled with analogue pastimes like a book, journal, puzzles or a knitting kit that you lug around and dip into.
London-based Maya Giardini, 11, who was recently visiting family in India, says she took to crocheting eight months ago. “I love that once you get used to it, you don’t have to really think about what you are doing. It’s fun to do while you are chatting, watching a programme, or listening to music.” Maya’s repertoire now includes coasters, a beanie, 25 bracelets that she made for a Christmas party, and a snood. She tries to squeeze in at least an hour and a half of crochet every week, depending on her homework.
The benefits of slow hobbies like crochet are well documented, but Gen Alpha’s draw to these old hobbies is more than just a quaint distraction. It’s a counterpoint to their otherwise overstimulated lives. “I enjoy the focus and the satisfaction of seeing a project slowly come together. It’s a balance between creativity and patience,” says Nitara with sage-like wisdom.
Not only has crocheting reduced her screen time, it is now also an integral part of her day. In just six months, she has made headbands, pillows, stuffed animals, scrunchies, and even blankets, all by herself. The class crochet expert has some practical advice for those just starting: “Start small, practise first with bigger yarns, do it every day, and never throw away your practice pieces so you can see your growth. It can be frustrating in the beginning, but getting your basics right really helps. Crocheting takes time to get used to, and no one is perfect right away. Enjoy the process.”
