‘Crafts are like medicine!’: Gen Z and the rapid rise of cosy hobbies

From crochet to drawing, supper clubs to pottery, young people are finding community and connection through pastimes once associated with their grandparents

In a bright cafe just off Leith Walk in Edinburgh, a group of young people gather around a table strewn with fabric scraps, beads and crochet hooks. Each session brings a new theme: one week it’s crochet, the next jewellery-making, the week after that they learn latte-art. Coffees are sipped, biscuits are passed around and chatter fills the room.

This is the Girls Craft Club, founded earlier this year by art history graduate Gabby after a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder left her feeling isolated. “We were all going through life problems,” she says. “We decided to make something beautiful out of it. When you make your own bag or repair your clothes, you value them differently. And you value yourself differently, too.”