From maxidresses to tank tops and colourful totes, the high street is bedecked with crocheted fashion this summer. But while shops are full of ready-to-wear styles they face increasingly stiff competition from homemade efforts.
In recent years crochet has managed to shake off associations with blankets and tea cosies, with social media sites such as TikTok and Instagram full of influencers and young creators sharing festival-worthy fashion “makes” and posting tips and videos.
While this season’s clothing ranges are full of crochet jackets, trousers, dresses and even bikinis, John Lewis says the trend is big business for its haberdashery departments too. Sales of beginner’s hooks, which cost less than £5, are up 170% on last year while sales of patterns to make everything from tank tops to shorts and crop top “co-ords” and tote bags are also up by more than 80%.
Sue Kennedy, the head of John Lewis’s haberdashery and crafts departments, says crochet patterns have become really popular. “With most designs priced at £4, they give customers the templates to follow but allow them to pick their own yarns to create unique designs with a professional finish.”
As the sun finally threatens to start shining in the UK, Kennedy highlights how crochet fabrics are “lighter and more breathable” than traditional knits, with customers buying cotton yarn in bright colours such as lilac and hot pink. “Self-stripe” yarns, which are popular with beginners because they produce a pattern without having to change colours, are also in high demand.
Retro skills such as knitting, sewing and crochet have enjoyed a renaissance in recent years, with TV shows such as The Great British Sewing Bee opening people’s eyes to DIY fashion. This interest intensified during the Covid lockdowns when Britons who had more time on their hands relearned old hobbies or embraced new ones, with many aided by YouTube tutorials.
Juliet Bernard, a spokesperson for the UK Hand Knitting Association, says its figures point to growing participation in crochet, with the pursuit attracting a younger demographic than knitting.
“I guess your average knitter is probably 54 to 65-plus, whereas for crochet it is probably 25 to 44,” she says. “The age [for crochet] seems to be going down, I think because the craft is so easy to grasp and portable.”
Above all “crochet is fun”, insists Sarah Moran, the managing editor of Inside Crochet magazine, which in recent years has welcomed a “raft of younger readers”. “It is easy to pick up simple stitches and a lot more forgiving than knitting. Once you’ve mastered the humble granny square, you are all set to hook your first scarf, vest or even dress.”
It is also a “really addictive, mindful hobby” that enables people to create an individual and sustainable wardrobe, she adds, saying doing it “in public is a great way to start a conversation with complete strangers”.
Another thing fuelling this DIY movement, Moran says, is the “growing understanding that genuine crochet cannot be machine-made, which when you look at the price point of some items available on the high street, makes us question their provenance”.
She adds”: “Thankfully we are all more educated about where our fashion comes from now and making yourself an on-trend jumper you love is satisfying on every level.”
