▲ The 500,000-subscriber YouTube channel "Baneul Iyagi Kim Dae-ri," popular among knitting enthusiasts
"It is truly honest in the sense that the results are directly proportional to the time you put in."
Jung (26), a graduate student, explained why she became captivated by her new hobby, knitting.
With knitting recently emerging as a popular hobby mainly among those in their 20s and 30s, young "Ttegein" (knitting enthusiasts) can easily be found not only in traditional markets but also in downtown cafes and online communities.
"Knitting cafes," where people enjoy knitting while having drinks, are gaining popularity by selling yarn and accessories as well as operating one-day classes.
Some shops are spreading by word of mouth as "knitting meccas," continuing to attract young people.
Related posts such as "Ttegein," "Ttegestagram," and "Ttege-ini" (novice knitter) are also spreading on social media (SNS), and offline interactions among enthusiasts, such as small gatherings and "knitting parties," are actively taking place.
The ways people enjoy knitting have also evolved further.
Finding patterns through YouTube or Instagram to teach oneself and participating in gatherings through local communities such as Danggeun (Karrot) or open chats have become common.
It is a picture of a "stay-at-home" hobby started alone naturally expanding into an offline space.
Office worker Kim (25), who says she makes and gifts toys for her companion dog herself, shared, "These days, anything can be obtained quickly, but knitting is a result obtained slowly by weaving yarn line by line," adding, "When I look at the completed item later, I feel a sense of pride."
Lim (26), who recently joined a knitting gathering for people in their 20s in the Yongin area of Gyeonggi Province, also said, "I joined to reference patterns posted by other people, and ended up making and sharing hair ties myself," adding, "There aren't many things where you can directly make a design you imagined in your head, and knitting seems attractive in that regard."
This craze is also revealed through numerical data.
Posts containing related hashtags such as knitting and ttege on Instagram have surpassed 2 million.
According to the Shinhan Card Big Data Research Institute, the number of uses of knitting cafes from January to October 2024 surged by 105% compared to the same period of the previous year.
Experts interpret the knitting craze among the 2030 generation as a movement to escape fatigue from a stimulating digital environment and seek a sense of accomplishment and peace of mind through analog activities.
Lee Hong-joo, a professor of consumer economics at Sookmyung Women's University, analyzed, "The youth craze for knitting is a reaction to the digital era and a phenomenon combining self-expression and consumption," adding, "In an environment where impromptu digital content like shorts overflows, it can become a productive leisure activity that provides the 'fun of doing' rather than just the 'fun of watching,' along with digital detox."
Pop culture critic Ha Jae-keun also analyzed, "While the younger generation seeks to temporarily escape the digital age and gain leisure and healing through past analog culture amid the retro craze, knitting can be seen as having been rediscovered as an extension of 'Hal-millennial' [retro sentiment favored by the younger generation] culture."
(Photo: Screenshot from YouTube channel "Baneul Iyagi Kim Dae-ri," Yonhap News)
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