Granny Era

02.18.24

By Jenna Millikan

Wait! Am I turning into my grandma? 

This thought came to me at 21-years-old when my weekend plans consisted of knitting and being in bed by 9 p.m. Am I in my grandma era? Maybe, but I’m not the only one. Many younger people on social media are posting about being in their "grandma era." 

But what does that mean? For many, it's staying in versus going out and engaging in traditionally considered “grandma” hobbies, like knitting and crocheting. These activities are often slow and emphasize the hands-on process of creating. In our current digital age, why is there such a shift to slower offline tasks? 

“These skills were passed down from person to person to person starting with the very first person who decided to spin a little bit of fiber into a piece of thread,” Echo Mae, the co-owner of Northwest Yarns, said. “This current generation is really just the most recent generation to continue that tradition.”

Spinning wheels and weaving machines at Northwest Yarns. The store offers materials needed for a number of fiber arts.

Northwest Yarns is a fiber arts store located in downtown Bellingham. They offer everything needed for fiber art crafts like knitting, crocheting, felting, etc. They host free knitting classes every Wednesday. That was how 23-year-old Ben Clifton began knitting five years ago.

“I was like, really? knitting? okay, whatever,” Clifton said. “But I found out they were doing free lessons at the time. I went to a couple of them, borrowed some needles, and the rest is history.”

Now, Clifton has a knitting group he attends regularly and can be spotted at Red Square working on his latest project.

Like many of these “grandma” hobbies, knitting can provide someone with an outlet outside of endless scrolling on social media, otherwise known as doom scrolling. 

“It's something to do when I'm on the bus or in a waiting room or even just in class when it’s not a time where I have to take notes," Clifton said. "Because I need something to do with my hands all the time." 

Activities using our hands can improve mental health through a process called the Effort Driven Reward Cycle. According to Psychology Today, moving our hands activates large portions of our brain's prefrontal cortex. This increased activation can have positive impacts on mental health. 

So, when you finish the scarf you spent hours on, you activate the Effort Driven Reward Cycle.

“When you're making something, whether it's crochet, knitting, embroidery, sewing, whatever it is, you're put in a place where you really have to be present,” Mae said. “You have to focus, you have to be mindful and for a lot of people that results in sort of a mental calm.”

Just because you’re in your “grandma era” doesn’t mean your social life has to suffer. The great thing about these hobbies is that they can be done alone or with a group. For Clifton, knitting was a way to open up his social sphere.

A sweater knitted by Ben Clifton and modeled by a friend. The sweater uses the drop stitch method to create its unique texture. (photo credit: Ben Clifton)

“I have a craft group on Thursday nights generally and it's people from all ages,” Clifton said. “It's good to have that intergenerational perspective.”

Not sure where to start? Northwest Yarns hosts weekly classes for different forms of fiber arts. Western’s Cozy Club offers a space to socialize with other students while working on your project.

Some people turn to these hobbies to live more sustainably. You can patch an item that otherwise would end up in the landfill or make garments to combat fast fashion.

"You end up with something that you made yourself, you made with your own hands. It's not mass-produced. It's not fast fashion. It's not something that's going to be thrown into the goodwill pile next month,” Mae said. “It's precious to you because you made it.”

You don’t need to be entering your “grandma era” to learn something new. Hobbies are a great form of stress relief and creative expression. When learning a new skill, the barrier to entry can be intimidating, but it’s important to remember that everyone had to start where you are now. 

“Some people have terrible anxiety when it comes to learning something new and I get it, 100% I've been there,” Mae said. “You have to look for the space where you feel most comfortable.”