Knitting was seen as what old ladies do. Now meet young male knitters.

Knitting was seen as what old ladies do. Now meet young male knitters.

During the pandemic people have been turning to crafting for a variety of reasons. LoveCrafts, an online community, has seen a rise in young men crafting, reporting more than a third taking up knitting or crochet, many with an Olympian level of dedication. Tom Daley began after his coach encouraged him to find a way to reduce stress between dives. Brendan from Australia discovered it stops him from being anxious. He now has 65,000 followers on his Instagram account. Ola, in Nigeria, finds it therapeutic and a source of joy. And Vincent, a heavy metal fan from Portland, is most likely to be seen in public dressed in leather, sporting a mohawk, while crocheting small stuffed creatures. For the full story published in The Guardian click here. Photograph: David Dare Parker/The Guardian