Not just a granny’s craft: Why teens are getting hooked on crocheting

Ms Soo Qian Rong recently crocheted dolls of rabbit figure Miffy as farewell gifts for her colleagues after her first part-time job.

The 18-year-old, who is currently waiting to enter university, loves customising and creating cute plushies as gifts. She had picked up the craft two years ago after being drawn by the cosy and whimsical aesthetic of crochet videos, and watched YouTube videos to learn how to do it herself.

Crochet is a type of needlecraft where a hook is used to loop and connect yarn to create things like clothes and plushies. It used to be deemed the craft of grannies and older folk before seemingly enjoying a revival among young people today.

While Ms Soo picked up the hobby recently, some others her age had an earlier start.

Ms Angela Liu Yik, 19, who is waiting to enter university, has been crocheting for seven to eight years – from the time she was in Secondary 1.

She was inspired to crochet during the Covid-19 pandemic, and learnt the craft from YouTube tutorials for the student-initiated learning segment during Home-Based Learning days.

“Part of the enjoyment of crochet is mindfully following a pattern, and I find that quite therapeutic,” she said.

“Pandemic crocheters” who have stuck with the hobby are now an entrenched part of the active crochet community here, observed Ms Jassandra Nay, 31, the owner of Memo’s Art House. Her studio stocks craft materials for crochet and knitting, and offers classes.

“When I started crocheting 12 years ago, (crochet didn’t really have a presence) in Singapore. People didn’t know about it at all,” she said.

“However, when Covid-19 hit and everyone was stuck at home, people started finding things to do and that’s when crochet became a thing.”

She noted that the crochet trend has slowly trickled down to a younger audience, observing that adults who took up the craft subsequently influenced their colleagues and children.

Crochet is sometimes mistaken for knitting, which is the process of interlooping yarn using two needles. However, crochet is more versatile and better for making 3D shapes, as it involves many different stitches that can produce items ranging from plushies to bags to clothes, said Ms Nay. 

Pointing to the many YouTube crochet tutorials available, she said that the barriers to entry to crochet have become much lower. Yarn manufacturers also now offer a wider range of materials, which makes it easier to create a greater variety of items.

Online personalities, including local ones, showing off their finished products has also piqued interest in crocheting.

Local celebrity Edwin Goh has worn his self-made crochet tops to events and started a crochet business around 2023 with his actress-influencer girlfriend Rachel Wan.

Local crochet content creator Arielle Tan Qi-xuan, 18, (@cl0udyches) boasts a following of more than 40,000 on Instagram. She mainly posts photos of her finished crochet plushies, which she sells, and one of her most popular posts has garnered 439,000 views.

She started learning to crochet in mid-2023, and later that year began her Instagram account to share her art with others and express her creativity. Over time, it became a platform for her small business as well.

At Nanyang Junior College (NYJC), the interest in crocheting even resulted in students forming an interest group in 2022. Since it started, it has drawn about 60 members a year.

Young Jun Ting, 17, president of NYCrochers, said that the group is a good way for students to bond together over a shared interest in crochet, and through crocheting, they can relieve the school stress they face.

As it is not a formal CCA, group members meet on an ad hoc basis.

They get together to share their skills – more experienced members teach beginners how to crochet – or to make items together based on themes such as “floral” or “ocean”.

They have also organised fund-raising projects, where they crocheted plushies for sale, with the proceeds going to charity. Students can also join a WhatsApp channel to be informed about upcoming volunteer projects or workshops.

In 2025, the group collaborated with the People’s Association and non-profit organisation Hey, You Got Mail! to teach the elderly living in the Ang Mo Kio area this “granny’s craft”.

The students so far have held five such sessions at Housing Board void decks in Ang Mo Kio, and are looking to make these sessions more regular, once in two weeks, from May to July this year. 

Said Jun Ting: “Initially, the elderly were really sceptical, as they could not comprehend that they could finish crocheting a handbag in two hours.

“However, through our encouragement, some of them were even able to finish it in an hour’s time, which was impressive.”

In June, NYCrochers will be manning a booth at the carnival-themed Eat. Rest. Play. event at Toa Payoh for families with young children. Their booth will offer a craft activity for children to customise their own crochet keychain using pre-made bases and decor like googly eyes and felt pieces.

As for Ms Soo, she is looking towards crocheting a Smiski – a creature figure popular in blind boxes – as her next project. “Crochet allows me to showcase my creativity, and it’s a good off-screen activity that is therapeutic and helps me to relieve stress too.”