The unlikely generation driving the rise of knitting

Megan Elizabeth, 31, is acutely aware that she could not have chosen a more perfect time to launch her knitting app.

The Melbourne woman released her “pattern engine”, Bellish, in February shortly before the coronavirus crisis confined people to their homes.

Emily McNamara, 33, is enjoying her new knitting hobby, as is 11-week-old groodle Murray.Credit: Eddie Jim

“The stay-at-home orders meant people picked us up far quicker than we were expecting,” Elizabeth says of her app, which has had 60,000 downloads on Apple devices (80 per cent in North America) with more than 115,000 designs created.

But Elizabeth was also tapping into a business that was flourishing even before COVID-19 hit. The US Association for Creative Industries valued the craft market at $US36 billion, led in large part by Millennial consumers (41 per cent).

And it's thought the pandemic only intensified the love of craft. Emily McNamara, 33, is among those. The digital textile designer admits she always wanted to learn to knit, joking that “it’s pretty outrageous I don’t know how”, given her work in fashion.

So when she was stood down in March, she finally decided to start alongside her housemate. They taught themselves on YouTube and are now each making a chunky wool scarf. She says a lot of her friends knit, too.

Megan Elizabeth, creator of knitting app Bellish.

“I love it because it is like a meditation in a way… and it feels productive,” she says.

Ros Rogers is the founder of non-profit Knit One Give One, which donates handmade items to vulnerable Australians. She says she has “definitely” observed a resurgence among people in their 20s and 30s, and has even recently taught several Millennials how to knit.

“It’s lovely to see knitting and crocheting are not going to be lost arts,” Rogers says. “I think one of the reasons people are turning to craft is it’s so therapeutic… In today’s modern, fast-paced world people are looking for something to help them relax.”

App Bellish delivers knitters personalised patterns according to their selected size, style and yarn.

Rogers believes lockdown amplified the desire to create. “I know the yarn shops have all been absolutely crazy busy with online orders.”

Deb McDonald co-owns Sydney yarn store Skein Sisters and says they were “bombarded” with sales, including from new, younger people looking for ready-made knitting kits. She says her customer base has “definitely gotten younger” in the three years since they opened, adding that the “amazing” online knitting community is a drawcard.

Elizabeth says Bellish users range in age from their 20s to their 70s, but adds that “Millennials are driving it pretty hard”.

“For Millennials in particular, it’s the idea of something wholesome but mindful and productive,” she says. “It’s amazing the sense of achievement from actually finishing something. A lot of people use it for stress relief, it’s in line with cooking and baking.”

She adds that knitting also helps balance out the amount of time spent scrolling on smartphones, for obvious reasons: “You have to be using your hands to knit.”

Initially focused on more experienced knitters, Elizabeth says the app is now turning to cater to those newer to the craft “because there’s been such an influx of beginner knitters”.

Elizabeth compares traditional pattern writing to computer coding, explaining it can involve hours of mathematics just to put together a pattern that reflects your yarn, skills, size and style, or simply to bring it on trend.

“You need to recalculate everything so that all the numbers and sizes match up,” Elizabeth says – and that's on top of the 50-60 hours it already takes to knit a jumper, she adds.

But Bellish does the number crunching itself, delivering simple and personalised pattern instructions according to criteria selected by users.

So far, app users can create patterns for jumpers and beanies. Socks, cardigans and linen tops are also on the cards.

Elizabeth says she plans to introduce tutorials to teach complete rookies, but in the meantime she advises newbies to use YouTube first.

“Once you’ve understood how to hold your needles and how to do a knit and purl stitch, you’re totally ready to approach something like a beanie.”

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