The turn of a new year always tends to bring about a yearning for fresh starts, new goals, and positive outlooks for what’s to come. For many of us, that means rediscovering creative offline hobbies like knitting or finally learning how to knit.
Contrary to what large tech companies might want you to believe, 2026 seems to be the year where more people are looking towards offline activities to escape the online world.
Doomscrolling, generative AI, and the rise and fall of influencer culture have led to a digital fatigue that particularly younger people are hoping to escape, including myself. In fact, during a week of annual leave in September 2025, I picked up a pair of knitting needles for the first time since my mum taught me how to knit a mini scarf in middle school, and I haven’t looked back since.
In this post, I’m discussing my favourite five benefits of learning to knit in 2026!
For a hobby that’s been viewed by many in my generation as a so-called ‘granny hobby’, knitting among young people has seen massive growth in the years since the pandemic.
So, why has this happened? What are the benefits that a hobby like knitting can bring you? I’ve listed a few of my favourite benefits below:
What are the benefits of knitting?
1. Saying f*** you to fast fashion
The impact of fast fashion has seen astronomical growth over the past couple of decades. It’s responsible for 10% of the global annual carbon footprint, and contributes to 35% of microplastics which pollute our oceans.
Learning to make your own clothes puts the control of your wardrobe back in your hands. You get to decide the colour, the fit, and most importantly, the materials. You know where the yarn has come from, and in what conditions the garment was made. Imagine a wardrobe full of clothes that you’ve put time and effort into, rather than ones you’ve picked up on a shopping whim.
I’ve been guilty of buying clothes I’ve never even worn, but since getting into fibre arts, I’ve come to appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into dressmaking so much more.
If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, I would really recommend reading ‘Less’ by Patrick Grant. It’s a brilliant read which really goes into detail about the deterioration of the quality of supply chains, and how to buy less stuff.
2. Knitting for mindfulness
Although studies are still fairly limited, some research suggests that the act of knitting can refocus us away from bleak thoughts, towards a sense of achievement and hope. This shift in perspective can help to combat certain emotions linked with depression such as worthlessness, and helplessness.
Getting into a flow state while knitting can even act as a method of meditation, allowing you to calm your mind and relieve stress. It’s hard to doomscroll if you’re keeping your hands busy with knitting!
3. Growing your community
In a world where many of us are glued to our phones, mindlessly scrolling through random feeds of content, knitting can allow you to connect with like-minded people who share your passions and interests.
Depending on where you are in the world, there will often be local knitting groups who regularly meet up to knit, and share projects and tips. Even if your local options are limited, there are plenty of online groups where you can share makes and build friendships with others in the hobby as well!
The main reason I started @amyj.stitches was to get away from the chaotic algorithm I was faced with on my personal profiles, and tailor one exactly towards sewing and knitting, where I was surrounded by talented, creative people who I feel inspired by every day.
4. Fixing the ol’ attention span
We should all be aware by now of the damage that social media has done to our attention spans. Turns out having the opportunity to scroll through hours of bite-sized content at a personalised pace, doesn’t work well with our brains. Who knew?
By picking up a hobby like knitting, where you have to really focus on what you’re doing in order to correctly follow a pattern, or construct an item, you have the opportunity to build this muscle back up. As a bonus, you end up with a lovely reward, rather than that empty feeling you get after a long doomscrolling session (guilty).
5. Practicing your creativity
If you’re anything like me, in this era of AI (slop), you may find yourself feeling less creative as time goes on. When there are tools out there which can almost do your job for you (albeit worse in my opinion), it can start to feel like a bit of a waste of time to even bother thinking for yourself sometimes.
With knitting though, the creativity is literally in your hands. You get to choose the colours, the patterns and the fit. You’re entirely in control of the end product, and you get to appreciate the creativity that went into it so much more than if you’d bought the same thing online.
Allowing yourself time to sit in this creative head space is so important to maintain your overall creativity. I often find that my best ideas come to be when I’m knitting, or taking some time away from my screens.
Go and pick up those knitting needles!
I hope some of the points above have resonated with you, and inspired you to go out and grab some knitting supplies. I’m honestly not sure what I would do without my fibre crafts these days, and I would wholeheartedly encourage anyone who can, to give it a go in 2026.
If you already knit, do you agree with the points above? Do you have some other benefits you’d like to share? Pop a comment below, I’d love to hear from you!
I’ve detailed my beginner knitting experience with the popular Porcelain Sweater in this blog post!