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Online haberdashers and arts and crafts stores do not have a reputation for attracting more customers than they can handle, but earlier this year that all changed, as knitting needles, balls of wool and children’s art sets all sold out online.
With nowhere to go and little to do, legions of Britons embraced their creative side and got crafting, often for the first time in decades.
Arts and crafts retailer Hobbycraft revealed that its online sales shot up by 200 per cent during the 12 weeks of lockdown, while a series of online crafting classes it ran for children attracted more than 15 million views.
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But while lockdown certainly played a pivotal role in Britain’s crafting revival, our renewed interest in all things hand-made began well before Covid-19 struck. Total revenue at Hobbycraft increased by 9 per cent to £193.6m over the 12 months to mid-February 2020, with online growth rising by almost 20 per cent, according to the company’s latest annual financial results.
Be it jewellery-making, macramé, embroidery or pottery, all the activities that fall under the crafting umbrella have two things in common: they allow people who might not necessarily consider themselves “good” at art to get creative, and they offer an opportunity to step away from our digital lives to focus on producing something physical with our own two hands instead.
i spoke to crafters around the UK about what prompted them to roll up their sleeves and get creative.
‘I’ve knitted 52 scarves so far this year’
Lloyd Burr, 32, from New Zealand, has been living in the UK since 2018
“I started knitting not long before the Covid-19 outbreak after I bought some merino wool – there are so many nice places in the UK to get it. In New Zealand it all goes into carpets or expensive clothing, not balls of wool.
“A friend commissioned me to make her a scarf, and I knitted her one in a bright candyfloss colour. Her friend saw it and asked for one as well and it snowballed with more of their friends and family members getting in touch.
“I’ve made 52 so far this year. There’s no way I would have been able to make so many without lockdown – I would have been too busy with work.
“There were about three weeks when I think I got Covid-19 – I was locked away and made 10 scarves in that time. I ran out of wool.
“I have orders for 10 more right now. I’m looking forward to my scarf orders running out though, so I can learn how to do beanies, mittens and maybe baby clothes.
“It is so bloody hard to knit scarves in the summer. I’ve gone to the park a few times, put out a picnic mat and got some funny looks from people while I’ve sat there with my balls of wool and some beers.”
‘If you screw it up, you can unpick it’
Fiona Rennie, 28, lives on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides
“I’m a photographer and graphic designer but during lockdown I couldn’t go out and take pictures. I was looking to switch off, so I took up embroidery.
“Having something to touch and keep my hands busy seemed to totally relax my mind and stop it from going into overdrive.
“Now I keep finding new projects that I want to do and they keep getting more fancy. I have several friends who are pregnant so I’ve been embroidering baby grows and jumpers – that’s been very cute. Recently I did a jumper for a friend who wanted a specific landscape horizon on it of the hills of Caithness.
“I work freehand instead of following patterns but I use Pinterest for inspiration. Sometimes my work is bit wonky but that’s part of the charm of hand-stitching.
“My advice to anyone wanting to start would be: don’t think about it too much. Even if you screw up, you can unpick it and start again.”
‘There’s no pressure to be good at it’
Rhian Owen, 15, lives in north-east Wales
“I started knitting about a month ago – it’s really interesting being able to learn something new. I began just doing
simple stitches quite badly, and I’m trying to make a patchwork blanket now.
“It’s relaxing and quite rewarding, and it’s nice to see the rows of neat stitches I’ve made.
“After I finish the blanket, I might try to make something with a specific shape, like a cuddly toy. My mum wants me to make her a scarf – I’ve said I hope I’m going to receive some payment.
“My granny is amazing at knitting; maybe it’s genetic. When I showed her what I’d done I was nervous, hoping she’d like it, and I think she does.
“I’m doing art GSCE and enjoy sketching, which I’ve done a lot more of since lockdown began.
“I’m trying to do different forms of art in different mediums. I’ve got more time and there’s no pressure to be good at it, it’s just to practise and have fun.
“I wouldn’t have taken up knitting without lockdown, as I wouldn’t have had time, with school and sports. I want to make time for knitting in future and definitely continue with my art.”
‘Crochet soothes my anxiety’
Melanie Sarling, 31, from Cambridgeshire, lives in London
“I got into crocheting about five years ago but during lockdown I’ve created an e-commerce shop in addition to my Etsy shop, and have started posting video tutorials.
It was so good to have something to sink my teeth into – as a freelancer working in the theatre and the arts, all my work went out the window indefinitely.
“For me, crochet helps to soothe anxiety and low mood. There is a simplicity and rhythm to the action of it that gives the brain time to wander and process things. It also provides a sense of accomplishment, a little boost of pride. It’s also a fantastically productive way to pass time on the bus.
“Going from imagining something to planning it, making it, honing it, then sharing it with others is really rewarding. I often struggle with perfectionism, but crocheting makes me question that urge to make things perfect.
“I work a lot with children and I don’t know what my schedule will be like when schools go back, plus I think there might be another lockdown, so I’m thinking about my next project. I want to learn how to stain glass, do pottery – you name it, I want to do it.”
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