Why more men are turning to crocheting

Kunal Chourasia picked up the needle and some yarn when he was 10 years old Spending afternoons sitting beside his nani he learnt different stitches and got hookedThe Bhandup West resident now runs an Instagram business with the moniker Crochet By Kunal and can craft everything from lip balm holders and sunflowers to bucket hats and Amigurumi crocheted stuffed toys popular in Japan The business started as a side hustle and grew after Chourasia decided to make the COVID19induced lockdown productive by watching YouTube tutorials to master different techniquesKunal Chourasia believes that crochet can be practiced regardless of gender The craft has helped him battle his anxiety as wellChourasia is not the only guy out there crafting something out of yarn In Kashmir Nazar Nasir Naik has been crocheting since 2016 Touted as the ldquomale crocheter of Kashmirrdquo across social media Naik picked up the skill after learning how to knit from his aunt during unrest in Srinagar He soon developed his technique merging oldage knotting to create modernday products His business Knotty Crafts now sells flowers brooches stuffed animals beanies and more all crochetedBut have these men ever borne the brunt of breaking a stereotype with crochet often considered an art predominantly pursued by women ldquoOnce I was crocheting at school and a teacher punished me She asked me to kneel even though I hadnrsquot one anything wrong Apart from that incident I have never been bullied I have only received a lot of love on social mediardquo says ChourasiaThe common image associated with crochet usually involves an old grandmother knotting away But the craftrsquos history says otherwise ldquoI donrsquot think crochet or knitting has anything to do with genderrdquo says Chourasia ldquoMen used to knit fishing nets Later on this hobby was passed on to the grandmas There was also a time when crochet was considered a luxuryrdquoWhile the original homeland of crochet is unknown many cultures have claimed its history including France South Africa England Italy Arabia and China But it seems to have been an offshoot of naringlebinding and knitting The earliest evidence of a crochetlike art dates back to 1000 AD in Egypt where researchers found socks that were created by naringlebinding a technique that predates crochet and knittingA shelf full of yarn at Kunal Chourasiarsquos Bhandup West residence from where he runs a small business selling items made with crochet PicsShadab KhanWhatrsquos more interesting is that in the Middle Ages when knitted garments were fashionable men picked up needles to meet the demand The demand led to the establishment of knitting guilds in the early 1400s and members were exclusively men Young European men in this era had one ambition To be a master knitter in a guild To achieve the title one had to devote six years to training This included three years of apprenticeship with a master while three more were spent travelling the world to learn foreign techniques and patterns At the end of the training knitters had to prove their mastery through a rigorous exam that involved knitting a cap a pair of stockings or embroidered gloves a shirt or waistcoat and finally a knitted carpetmdashall in the span of 13 weeksIt shouldnrsquot be surprising then that Chourasia and Naik have taken over the needle and yarn and established their businesses For Rahul Jadhav a content specialist based in Bengaluru itrsquos more of a hobby During the COVID19 pandemic he was looking for a hobby to pass the time and watched YouTube tutorials on crocheting Jadhav went on to create bookmarks and coasters as well as a shawl for his mother and a Spiderman mask It helps him with his mental health says JadhavNazar Nasir Naik and Denver SaldanhaldquoIt helps you calm down if yoursquore feeling anxious And at the end you get something out of it toordquo he says ldquoI usually crochet something and gift my friendsrdquoChourasia agrees sharing that it was crocheting that helped him tackle the stress that came with his last job which he eventually quit to pursue the skill fulltimeJadhavrsquos friends have been supportive and have even coaxed him to teach them how to crochet Itrsquos what led him to organise the Cubbon crochet picnic at Bengalurursquos Cubbon Park The small meetup has grown into a community of people who come at will to crochet embroider and knit together under the shade of trees ldquoI used to work at a coworking space WeWork nearby and got talking to a Frenchman there who ended up joining the community He had zero idea on how to proceed but the first week he created a rough bookmark Next week he made a passport cover and two weeks later he crafted a cover for his tablet The meetups see eight to 10 people each session of which two or three men are regularsrdquo Jadhav saysRahul Jadhav has crafted everything from shawls to petwear and toysA member of the community Denver Saldanha is only five sessions old but says that crochet has helped him break away from work on the weekend Saldanha works in administration at a payment aggregator and was looking to explore a new hobby Eventually crochet ended up helping him make new likeminded friends in the city as well At Chourasiarsquos workshops the setting is similar He says that he has been seeing more men picking up the craft ldquoI read somewhere that a doctor began to crochet because it helped him steady his hands for surgery I see all over social media that more and more people are getting interested Initially I thought this would be a trend and it will pass Instead itrsquos growingrdquo he says adding that the beauty of the craft is that you can make everything from stuffed toys to home decor to garments Its versatility is enough to attract more people to try out the craft regardless of genderSaldanha puts it well ldquoItrsquos very peaceful Itrsquos a forgiving craft if you make a mistake you can always go back to where you startedrdquo