Crocheting has a history of being associated with a more “mature” audience - we picture our grannies labouring away at an itchy sweater that you’ll wear once but lie and say it’s the best thing you own. This has seemingly started to shift as Gen Z has started to pick up this traditional hobby; when opening social media platforms like TikTok, it's hard to avoid a range of people crocheting anything from teddies for their partners to socks for dogs. This begs the question though, is crocheting winter clothes a viable option? Crocheting requires a plethora of patience and time and it’s not a hobby for those who might struggle with focus.
You can create some of the warmest pieces you'll ever own - which is a necessity in Newcastle, of course.
However, it’s definitely rewarding to wear a piece that you have handmade and see the look on people's faces when you proudly show off your labour of love. You can spend a good month creating the perfect pattern before going through trial and error with chains and links to end up with a product that is so incredibly unique and impossible to replicate. Moreover, you can create, arguably, some of the warmest pieces you’ll ever own - which is a necessity in Newcastle, of course.
It all depends on the tools you use; for the most part, the cheaper the yarn, the thinner and itchier the piece will be. This is probably the main issue with crochet: it is an undeniably costly hobby. If you want to make a full sweater, it’ll cost you the hook, any yarn you want (which can range from three to fifteen pounds per skein depending on the quality) and then any embellishments - and don't forget the price of the fifty-plus hours it takes to make it. Although crochet is an absolutely incredible idea to craft your own unique (and sustainable) winter wardrobe, it may not be particularly viable for university students - especially those who don’t have the luxury of lots of free time.
