New Trend – “Granny Hobbies”

According to Grazia, this is the year when grannies get cool. Apparently all the bright young things will be dusting off their jam pans or  signing up for pottery classes.  Of course, knitting and crochet get a mention – despite the elegant, modern and stylish designs which regularly appear in print – the media insist on perpetuating the myth that crochet is all about 70’s  waistcoats, blankets in migraine inducing colour combos and cute toys.

For some of us, crochet (and knitting) have always been cool, enjoyed by young and old, men and women. It really doesn’t matter what the media think, most of us will carry on making and being inspired by the new generation of designers. Our crafts continue to push boundaries, old techniques are re-imagined in modern yarns and colour palettes.

So why is the term “granny craft” often used as a pejorative term? A way to generate humour or to poke fun? The “old ways”, dressmaking, home preserving and  growing our own food never went out of fashion, they were never forgotten. It just seemed, that for a little while at least the media preferred to sell us the myth of the new – the ready made, instant gratification lifestyle – and some of them maybe believed that was reality. To fill column inches by writing about the rise “granny crafts” is to miss the point, it’s lazy journalism. I for one am grateful to Franklin Habit, who hit the nail squarely on the head this week in his piece: “A Friendly Three Point Message to Journalists Who Seek to Write About Knitting and Crochet” This absolutely the best thing I’ve read in ages.Sorry Grazia, Grannies have always been cool, the backbone of society. Providing support to their families, inspiring new generations, passing on their wisdom while holding down jobs, running homes, making and mending in all manner of ways. Grannies, like the ubiquitous granny square, have style, the ability to adapt and remain relevant in a changing society – that why we all love our grannies – in every shape and form.