Hobbies once associated with grandmothers are gaining in popularity among young people in Quebec

Ray Walker, 17, demonstrates his stitching technique for knitting, one of his hobbies. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Knitting, crocheting, embroidery: hobbies you might associate with your grandmothers are gaining in popularity among millennials, and members of Generation Z.

Social networks are full of videos featuring these kinds of creations, while the handmade and soothing aspect of these hobbies is attracting young people.

Catherine Gamache-Boucher, 24, hasn't gone a day without crocheting for a year. On her Instagram page, which has more than 3,000 followers, she shares her crochet cuddly toy creations.

"There's such a caring community on Instagram," she said. "We encourage each other a lot."

Gamache-Boucher recently shared her first patterns on her social networks, which she is giving away free of charge. She started crocheting last year, after receiving a crochet kit as a gift.

A few months later, she launched her crochet account on Instagram.

"I thought it would motivate me to make doggies. I was really proud of my first doggies," she said.

A year later, Gamache-Boucher still has the same passion for crochet.

"It really calms me down, and there hasn't been a day I've gone without crocheting for a year," she said. "I do it every day; it's part of my daily routine, and I couldn't listen to TV without having my little ball of wool next to me and my hook."

Léa Choquette started crocheting this summer.

"I've watched my grandmother knit for a long time," said the 23-year-old. "She makes long knitted scarves, and I think it's so beautiful. So that inspired me to start crocheting. Knitting seemed a bit complicated to me, but crochet was more accessible."

She learnt the hobby thanks to tutorials available on the web, but also thanks to the expertise of her grandmother.

"She's always keen to see the final result, to see what I've done. She thinks it's beautiful all the time", she said.

Choquette feels that crochet has a "slightly meditative" aspect.

"What I really like is that I don't think about anything when I'm doing it, crocheting, and then I listen to my little tutorial. You really have to concentrate to do it, especially when it's a new pattern, and you have to learn the pattern and remember it and not run out of stitches," she explained.

Choquette and Gamache-Boucher aren't the only ones who love the hobby.

On TikTok, dozens of pages of influencers who share their knitting, crochet or embroidery creations have thousands of subscribers.

Fanny Lalonde, owner of the La Bobineuse shop, which sells knitting materials, among other things, can see the trends being promoted on social networks in her shop in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough in Montreal.

"Clothing fashions and social networking trends are definitely going to have an influence," she said. "This summer, we had a lot of young girls wanting to make crocheted tops. Last year, it was oversized woollen jumpers that were in vogue."

Contrary to popular belief, the majority of her customers are aged between 20 and 45.

"I've owned the shop for seven years now, and we've always had a large proportion of our clientele who weren't elderly," she said. "I'd even say that the people with whom we traditionally associate knitting are not our main clientele.

"We also have a lot of children who knit. In the neighbourhood, we have teachers and childcare workers who knit with children at school, and we have a lot of primary and secondary school children who knit too, so it's very varied."

Lalonde pointed out that her customers particularly appreciate knitting for the do-it-yourself, personalized aspect, as well as the sense of relaxation it brings.

 

 

 

 

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HOBBIES THAT GO BACK A LONG WAY

Yolande Cohen, a professor in the history department at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), thinks it's interesting to see the return of these useful pastimes among younger people.

She pointed out that these pastimes are not new, being part of the heritage of the Cercles de fermières, which were popular in both rural areas and small towns.

"Since the beginning of the 20th century, the Cercles de fermières have been very popular with women who arrived in these villages, mostly following their husbands, didn't know anyone, and (for whom they) became very important social circles where people wove, knitted together, and canned things. So there was a system for exchanging not only information and knowledge but also local produce," said Cohen.

As well as breaking down isolation, these leisure activities helped to improve families' quality of life at the time.

"Home economics, it wasn't called that for nothing, was a really important complement to family well-being," said Cohen. "As the salary of the man of the house was never enough to meet all the needs, the women and even the chwas ildren went to work in the vegetable garden to grow vegetables, etc., and canned just about everything to get through the winter."

This report by The Canadian Press first published in French on Oct. 8, 2023.