{"id":507,"date":"2021-11-19T20:46:18","date_gmt":"2021-11-19T20:46:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/theragingtwenties\/?p=507"},"modified":"2021-12-02T17:55:55","modified_gmt":"2021-12-02T17:55:55","slug":"knitting-em","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/theragingtwenties\/2021\/11\/19\/knitting-em\/","title":{"rendered":"In with the new: How young people are leading the fibre art revolution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A crochet cartoon character sweater made by Ella Milloy and inspired by @artbykaraleez. Photo taken by Ella Milloy.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When the COVID-19 pandemic moved life inside, students started looking for new ways to stay engaged while adjusting to online lectures and tutorials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emma Charpentier, a second-year economics student at Carleton University, knew she needed to find a way to stay focused while sitting in front of her computer screen for hours attending her classes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through Reddit, Charpentier discovered Carleton\u2019s Yarn for Change club, a member-based knitting and crochet group that actively recruits young people to attend meetings, learn new skills and create textile projects for donation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI started learning,\u201d Charpentier said. \u201cI didn\u2019t get very far, but I did learn and it was pretty easy.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She soon picked up a pair of knitting needles and started her first project. Working with her hands to create a lime green square allowed Charpentier to shift her focus without missing any important information in class. She enjoyed the simplicity of the activity and felt accomplished upon completing her first project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor a couple of weeks, I would just sit in class and I would knit while I was watching lectures. It lets you do something with your hands,\u201d Charpentier said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pandemic provided many young people with the time and resources to discover and pursue new hobbies. Knitting and crocheting, two activities generally associated with an older generation, became the source of many viral trends and provided much needed relief from the stress of the pandemic. As a result, social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram quickly turned into hubs of creativity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only were young people using these platforms to share videos of their creations, but they were also using them to start conversations about fast fashion and establish their own small businesses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the course of the pandemic, 21-year-old American slow fashion designer Kara Lee used her growing TikTok<\/a> and Instagram<\/a> followings to pursue her passion for knitting and crocheting to sell her cartoon character cardigan design, establishing @artbykaraleez<\/a> in September 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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@raging20snews<\/a>

Trying to keep up with all the trends! #accentchallenge<\/a> #foryou<\/a> #fyp<\/a> #handmade<\/a> #crochet<\/a> #crochettok<\/a> #crochettiktok<\/a> #yarntok<\/a> #yarn<\/a> #fish<\/a> #knitting<\/a> #knittingtok<\/a><\/p> \u266c original sound – raging20snews<\/a> <\/section> <\/blockquote>