Crochet and knitting weave a spell as younger Canadians find comfort and connection

Artist and actor Kevin Yee, as shown in this handout photo, found comfort in the repetitive rhythm of crocheting, explaining that the craft has helped him to release lots of anger. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout

Kevin Yee says the repetition of crochet has helped him release a lot of anger in a creative process he calls “cro-raging.”

“You really can get a lot of angst out of crochet because it is about tying knots,” laughed Yee, who said it makes his chest feel lighter.

The actor, artist and TV writer’s new passion began during the 2023 Hollywood writers’ strike as his work dried up.

Yee, 43, moved back to Vancouver from Los Angeles to navigate his “big millennial unemployment” period, and stumbled onto a small crochet kit while visiting the craft aisle of what he calls the “mecca of artists,” otherwise known as Dollarama.

From there, he taught himself to crochet by watching YouTube videos.

Since then has created everything from a sweater vest to a pink, frilly umbrella and a knock-off of the popular Chinese Labubu doll, all while documenting his journey on social media and getting millions of views from fans.

“Let’s crochet a Labubu because I am la-poor-poor. I am struggling,” says Yee in a TikTok video, noting the $65 price for a genuine version of the toy. “Listen, if I am going to have to do a bootleg Labubu, I might as well just crochet one myself.”

The art of crochet and knitting date back thousands of years, but they have lately seen a resurgence in popularity in Canada. Many fibre artists say they have seen a significant increase in interest among younger generations, including men.

They attribute the revival to a growing desire for stress relief and mindfulness, while also making art and meaningful connections with others who are like-minded.

Fiona McLean from the group Knit Social has been hosting its annual fibre festival, Knit City, along with her business partner, Amanda Milne, since 2012.

The events have been held across Canada in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Toronto, where McLean expects about 3,000 people to attend the next festival from March 27 to 29.

Statistics Canada said when the pandemic hit, many Canadians turned to hobbies as a way to pass the time, and textiles were a popular choice.

The agency said there were more than $192.2 million in sales of sewing and knitting supplies in the third quarter of 2020, up nearly thirty per cent from the previous quarter.

McLean said she has been asked many times why knitting had exploded in popularity.

While she agreed that fibre arts certainly became more popular in the pandemic, the community “has always been there.”

“People just aren’t really tapped into the community, but once you tap into it, you realize how big it is and how supportive it is,” said McLean.

In Yukon, friendships are blooming at Whitehorse’s Itsy-Bitsy yarn store.

Alexandra Knowles moved to Whitehorse from Nelson, B.C., in the fall of 2017, and decided to check out the local yarn store as a place to meet people with the same interests.

Knowles, who has been knitting for almost 14 years after learning the craft from her mom and grandmother, said the store has become her “safe-container” to give her a sense of belonging.

“I feel like the knitting circle, the consistency of showing up, helps me get to know people,” said Knowles.

Nicole Percival said the store used to host a knitting circle event every Wednesday, starting her friendship with Knowles.

“We show each other the yarn that we’re using, or talk about the patterns that we’re working on, and then little bits of personal conversation kind of creep in every once in a while from there,” said Percival.

Knowles said knitting has not only helped her connect with her family, but she also finds the repetition soothing and rewarding.

“I think people have found it a really great way of coping with stress, the pace of the world and the ‘out-of-controlness’ that it feels like a lot of the time, like if you have a project in your hands, you can control it and make all the decisions around it and finish it,” said Knowles.

She also turned her experiences into a short documentary entitled “My Knitting Circle,” which is now streaming on the National Film Board of Canada’s website.

Percival, who teaches knitting at Itsy Bitsy Yarn store, said there is a surge of interest with younger designers getting creative with knitting and being passionate about learning cool patterns.

She said she believes technology and social media play a role in the increase, noting that six customers came in to the store recently asking for one type of yarn after being inspired by a post on Instagram.

She’s also noticing “a lot more” men and boys in her store.

Percival said she recently taught her nine-year-old son to knit and he’s working on his first hat.

“I’m so excited, and he just picked it up and started doing it, and he’s so unencumbered with it, and it gives him a little bit of moment of pause as well in this world of video games and stress,” said Percival.

Yee said he never thought that one day he would become a crochet artist. But he is loving it.

“There’s so many different types of hobbies, but I think these kind of older hobbies are helping the younger generation deal with this moment.”

This report by Nono Shen, The Canadian Press, was first published March 5, 2026.