When the Covid-19 pandemic riddled our lives with social distancing, masks, closed public places, and cancelled activities, the world seemed on the brink of collapse. In the last year as mandates have been lifted and life for the most part has become business as usual, Covid-19 still holds a grasp on our minds whether we realise it or not. Covid-19 will always be a moment in history that changed us both socially and culturally. But was everything that came out of the pandemic terrible? 

Silver linings lay in the ways we have coped with the pandemic and finding things to entertain ourselves in the quietness of our own homes. These activities are how we were able to create a sense of hope for the future. There has been a fibre arts explosion since the pandemic, ranging from crocheting, knitting, embroidery, felting, and sewing. When there was nothing to do but create, people (especially young people) found that learning a new practical medium allowed for a chance to experiment with their creativity. To this day, the remnants of  Covid-19’s hold on fibre art crafts is demonstrated throughout the Trent University population. 

In February, there was a “Learn How to Crochet” event at The Seasoned Spoon. Events like these have become more and more prevalent on campus recently due to the surplus of people that practise fibre arts crafts. There is an incentive to bring more people together through an individual craft because building community is what we strive for. Over the pandemic, our distance and lack of connection with people outside of the home very often ceased to exist. By building spaces where an individual craft can become a space of connection and community, it was something that we craved. 

Small pop-up knitting and crochet clubs can be found throughout the student and staff bodies alike. For instance, every Monday from 2:30pm to 4:00pm for the past semester, there is a small group of about four people who meet up in The Trend at Traill College. This group chats about what they are working on, what their next projects will be, and share their crafts with one another. One might claim that this is just a group of friends that come together, but the space and the designated time legitimise the experience of producing a craft as a collective. Though there are only a few people involved, the small group becomes a space of connection beyond the walls of our homes. The Trend is a hub for students and professors alike and because this group meets in a public space that allows for collective learning, it becomes a place where creative arts can flourish. The designation of time to continue to work on a skill outside of school that is creative, individual, but has a collective element, builds on the sense of accomplishment for the personal and the public. Time designation makes the experience one of stability - something that was lost during the pandemic - and proves that these small pop-up groups are desired by Trent students and faculty alike.  

The internet played a key role in the development of fibre arts in the post-covid world. Because there was such a desire for connection, people used the internet as a space to find meaning when the world seemed upside down. So when the knitted Harry Styles sweater went viral, people searched for a way to recreate it. It became the knitting project of the internet. The sweater consisted of very colourful squares sewn together making it easily interchangeable between crocheting and knitting. The variety of colours also made it easy to personalise. The sweater took over hundreds of tutorials on YouTube, thousands of posts, and a raving fan base during a time when we were all chronically online. And suddenly, young people wanted to learn to knit or crochet. 

Like any viral sensation, the trend fades into the background once something new and shiny comes along. But the prolonged trend of fibre arts has occurred because of its accomplishment-based nature. When someone successfully finishes a project, there is a sense of pride and joy. The meditative act of actually knitting or crocheting makes the process enjoyable as well. When someone starts, they can’t stop. Therefore, when a project becomes a viral fashion trend that can easily be made at home and is readily accessible, it becomes a phenomenon. It has become a part of the process of shifting into this new post-pandemic phase of life, holding onto something that helped cope with the ever-changing world. Due to this, it is no wonder that these little pop-up clubs have formed and continue to flourish on Trent’s campus and beyond.