For many people the word knitting often conjures ideas of a little old lady, sitting by the fire, as she quietly works on her craft. Yet it may surprise you to learn that while the mechanics of knitting are very much the same, the perception of this hobby is changing, in large part thanks to social media and the popularity of online knitting communities.
Knitting accounts can be found across numerous social media platforms. Applications like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok help knitters connect with others and form online communities, adding a social dimension to a previously solo activity. There are also sites like Ravelry, a knitting social media site, which hosts a pattern database and also allows members to friend and follow other members, as well as chat via forums and direct message.
Online communities have exposed knitting to younger audiences, and have made it easier than ever to learn to knit. New knitters can get support and encouragement with learning their new hobby, make new friends and join in group knit-a-longs. There are also numerous blogs, vlogs, and social media accounts that regularly show knitting instructions and tutorials for different techniques.
Thanks to the increased connectivity of social media more people are taking up knitting needles and sharing their creations online. Younger generations are making up a larger part of the knitting community, and the image of the knitter is shifting towards a younger person, knitting while participating in an online gathering, or snapping a photograph of their project for an Instagram account. If you would like to join an online knitting community some great accounts you can check out on instagram are @making_co, @pompommag, and @myboylandknit.
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 
I found that over the pandemic I turned to Crochet as a means to pass time. I am still hoping to conquer the art of knitting. It is the skill I have yet to understand and master. Great Blog!!!
Thanks! I really struggle with crochet, I have an afghan I’ve been working on for a few years now… I’m hopeful that eventually I’ll figure it out 🙂
Great blog title! It caught my eye right away.
Yes, thanks to social media, and in part to the pandemic, I think many people are discovering new ways to be creative. And fortunately, we now have a number of different platforms to share pics of what we have done with other enthusiasts. My much younger sister loves knitting (and to crotchet) and makes beautiful blankets and slippers, which I have benefited from a few times.
I had never made the connection between the recent upsurge of younger knitters and social media. I myself learned the basic mechanisms of knitting when I was much younger but several years ago I took it up again. Looking back now, after reading your post I’m realizing I was able to relearn how to knit completely as a result of social media. I took a local class (that I found on a Facebook group), joined a knit night (also which I found on Facebook), researched and checked out pictures of patterns (on Instagram and Raverly) and read blogs and watched endless Youtube videos to learn new stitches or figure out a pattern element I didn’t know how to do! Fast forward to today I’ve managed to knit a few (totally wearable) sweaters, a pair of socks, a couple hats and a few shawls. And I still often refer to YouTube to figure out things out.