34 Surprising Knitting Stats for 2021

The following information is from different statistics about knitting. You will learn how popular and broad the scope of this hobby. From these details, you will appreciate knitting more.

You will be glad that you choose to pursue this hobby. So, to know the surprising stats about knitting, read on.

Knitting Has Become More Popular During The Coronavirus Crisis

Knitting has become more popular during the Coronavirus crisis. This is according to Forbes online article on March 27, 2021. They had an interview with “We Are Knitters” founders, Pepita Marín and Alberto Bravo.

1. In the interview, they shared that their sales have increased 75 percent each week. They also had an increase in their social media following by 50 percent. According to them, Since the crisis, their followers have surged by millions.

Since the Coronavirus crisis has started, people have more free time to do their hobbies. They have more time in hand to try something new. People wanted to do something to make themselves busy and productive.

Knitting has become one of the most loved activities since the crisis. Experts say that both men and women chose knitting as the level of anxiety escalates. This is because knitting allows them to make something tangible. that they can be proud of.

In previous chapters, you have learned that knitting helps reduce anxiety and depression. The Coronavirus crisis has brought a lot of uncertainties. This is why people wanted to do something to forget their worries.

This could be one of the reasons why knitting has caused a sudden increase in sales and popularity.

In times of crisis, knitting and other crafting hobbies are helpful. It allows people to shift their focus on the craft rather than their anxieties. It also gives them a sense of control and achievement despite the situation.

2. The article also states that knitting social media following has surged. The online following has increased by 50 percent as early as March 12 of this year.

The online knitting advocate “We Are Knitters” has reached 3 million new subscribers. They also gained more than two and a half million views on their stories.

These figures show that knitting initiates social interaction. This is first seen among the elderly in care homes. Aging patients interact and socialize with other knitters as they knit.

Despite social distancing, knitters find ways to interact and socialize through online platforms. This could be one of the reasons why knitting online communities have boomed in recent weeks.

3. According to We are knitters, about 45 million Americans know how to knit or crochet. One-third of them buy knitting supplies at least once each month.

They also noticed that at the beginning most buyers were women aged 25-40. These are women who wanted to learn a new hobby. They also believe that knitting is cool and trendy.

4. In their survey, 99% are women but they are also getting orders from men. Customers aged 25-40 usually buy knitting kits. Meanwhile, customers who are 40 and older buy individual supplies.

All these data show that knitting is a beneficial hobby. It improves your mental, emotional, physical, and social health.

Source: Forbes.com

Knitting Is A Profitable Industry

Yarn crafting like knitting and crochet has a huge market. It is also a profitable business. The research made by the Association For Creative Industries (AFCI) proved this to be true.

1. In their research, AFCI found that knitting had a market worth $2.79 billion in 2016. This gave them an average knitting spending of $20.57 per household. They also found out that there 28.8 million American knitters and crocheters.
2. These knitters also participated in other needle arts like embroidery and cross-stitch. The research also showed that 71 percent of knitters and crocheters are female. Twenty-nine percent (29%) are male, and 37 percent are full-time employees.
3. Here are some other astounding details that AFCI has gathered.

• 77 percent of knitters buy their supplies from physical stores
• 4 percent buy outside physical stores (can be online)
• 19 percent buy from both sources
• 34 percent of knitters are between ages 18 to 34
• 36 percent are between ages 35 to 54
• 30 percent are 55 and above

What do these data tell you? All these figures imply that knitting is an enjoyable hobby. People are willing to spend to knit. These data also indicate that knitting is for everyone. Whether you are male, female, or even if you are working full-time.

Source: Knitting and Crochet Today: Statistics, Trends, and More

Knitting Industry Is Booming

The Market Research had a recent in-depth assessment of the knitting industry in the USA for 2021. The Apparel Knitting Mills Industry Report has over 100 data. These data have an in-depth assessment of the industry covering 2011 until 2024.

1. The research covered companies engaged in knitting fabric and apparel. They also included manufacturers of knitting apparel and accessories. These are some of their findings.

• Knitting industry sales were $1.2 billion in 2019.
• The knitting industry has grown at an annual rate of 0.1% over the last three years.
• The average sales per knitting company were $5.5 million in 2019.

All these findings show that knitting is a broad industry. All knitting companies are thriving and booming.

Source: Apparel Knitting Mills – 2021 US Industry Market Research Report

Knitting Provides Several Health Benefits

In the survey conducted by Wool and the Gang, knitting is making a come back. In their survey, there are over 7.3 million knitters in the UK and 53 million knitters in the USA. Their survey had about 4,000 knitters participants.

Here are their findings.

1. Most American, British, and European knitters prefer knitting as their relaxation activity. The data show 90 percent of US knitters and 86 percent of UK and European knitters agreed on this.
2. Ninety percent of knitters agree that knitting decreases the level of one’s anxiety.
3. Knitting gives a happy feeling. Seventy percent of knitters feel happy after completing a technique or a project.
4. Yarn crafting like knitting and crochet were in Google’s top searches in 2014. The search even increased by 70 percent since 2013.
5. Knitting is an antidepressant. The survey revealed that knitting has helped 40 percent of knitters fight depression. Twenty percent was able to fully recover through knitting.
6. Improves memory and dexterity.

These findings tell you that knitting is one of the most worthwhile hobbies. It does not only give you a sense of achievement but also healing from depression and anxiety. This lobby has also been a great meditative way of relaxation.

Source: Wool and the Gang

Knitting Is For Everyone

In the study conducted by the Craft Yarn Council in 2014, they have found some interesting facts. The study involved 3,178 knitters and crocheters. Among the issues they studied were:

• The participants’ motivation to make the craft
• The benefits they get from the hobby
• The places where they buy their supplies
• The kind of projects they make

Here is the breakdown of their participants.

• 48 percent primarily do crochet
• 32 percent primarily do knit
• 20 percent do both knitting and crochet

The following are some of their findings.

1. 84 percent knit or crochet 3 to 4 times a week
2. 58 percent knit or crochet every day
3. 3 percent is between ages 18 to 34 knit or crochet every day
4. Six out of 10 knitters or crocheters made knitting projects for charity. Out of the total participants, 63 percent made hats. Thirty-five percent made scarves and 32 percent made baby blankets.

A. What Motivates the Participants?

The study revealed the different age group has its unique motivation for knitting.

5. Knitting provides a creative outlet for 65 percent of the participants.
6. Fifty-one percent of the participants revealed that they enjoy knitting projects for others.
7. Forty-four percent of the participants agreed that knitting gives a sense of accomplishment.The study revealed that all participants agreed that knitting is their creative outlet. The second motivation is to cope with stress, and last is the feeling of being productive.

B. What Benefits Do Participants Get?

The research revealed that participants have different motivations. However, none of the results involve monetary gains or rewards.

8. Ninety-three percent of the participants revealed that knitting gives a feeling of accomplishment.
9. Eighty-five percent of the participants agreed that knitting reduced stress.
10. Sixty-eight percent of the participants revealed that knitting improved their mood.
11. Fifty-six percent of the participants agreed that knitting gives a sense of confidence.

C. What Projects They Make?

12. The research showed that 86 percent of the participants make scarves. Meanwhile, 79 percent make hats.

D. When and where do they buy Supplies?

13. The study revealed that 87 percent of the participants buy their yarns every one to three months. Forty-nine percent buy their yarns once in a month, while 11 percent buy every week.
14. It also showed that 51 percent buy their supplies from specialty craft stores. Then, 14 percent from local shops and 14 percent from mass merchandisers. Ten percent get their supplies from the Internet.

These findings revealed that knitting offers a lot of health benefits. Regardless of your age, knitting is a great avenue for your creativity and relaxation. Also, knitting can help you burn calories in the process.

Source: Craft Yarn Council

Fun Facts about Knitting

In the research made by Factretriever, here are some fun facts about knitting.

1. A popular knitting and crochet website called Ravelry has banned topics about Trump. This includes talks, patterns, or projects that are pro-Trump.

• In 2013 alone, the website Ravelry had about three million members around the world.
• Again, the site Ravelry was in controversy. The US Olympic Committee issued a cease-and-desist order to the knitting site. According to the letter, the website infringes on their copyright with their “Ravelympics”.
• “Ravelympics” includes sweater triathlon, afghan marathon, and scarf hockey. The event motivated crafters to start their projects as the Olympics commenced. They need to finish their projects as soon as the Olympics finished.

2. In September 2012, the record for the most people knitting was set in London. There were 3,083 people who knitted together for 15 minutes.

Famous people who knit include:

Kate Middleton
Julia Roberts
Vanna White
Cameron Diaz
Sarah Jessica Parker
Julianna Margulies
Kate Moss
Ryan Gosling

These fun facts show that knitting is a popular topic despite being a humble hobby.Source: The Fact Retriever

Knitting Trends in the 21st Centur

According to Ravelry, there were around 41,095 knitting patterns published in 2017. Among the top five knitting patterns were shawls, hats, wraps, sweaters, and socks.

• Hats 17.2 percent
• Shawls cover 16.9 percent
• Wraps cover the 15.1 percent
• Sweaters(pullovers and cardigans) 13.1 percent
• Socks were 11.3 percent

They also revealed that the common trends were the following.

• Faded garments

These became popular in the latter part of 2016. This came upon in the advent of the Find Your Fade shawl by Andrea Mowry. This trend became even more popular in 2017.The website Ravelry showed 6 patterns with this method in 2016. But in 2017 it rose to around 38 patterns. In that year 4 out of 10 popular knitting patterns had the faded approach.

• Self-striping yarn cakes

This yarn trend involved long color repeats. It was then used for shawls and garments. This yarn became so popular that there were 2,564 projects completed out of Caron Cakes yarns.But this amount had almost doubled in 2017. There were 5,890 projects completed using this yarn.

• Brioche stitch

This type of tuck stitch wherein you knit each row twice. You knit yarn overs together through a slipped stitch from the previous row. This creates a mushy or spongy fabric.It was Stephen West who paved the way for brioche’s popularity in 2016.

Source: Knitting Through The Back Loop

More pages: 

• Bringing knitting needles on plane
• Breaking of bamboo knitting needles
• Knitting or purling – which comes first?

These different statistics about knitting are a big revelation. All the while, many think that this hobby is only for middle age and the elderly. But, it turns out to be one of the most loved hobbies of the younger age groups.

Knitting is no doubt a helpful craft to help individuals express their creativity. It is also a proven reliever of stress, anxiety, and depression. Knitting is no doubt a popular skill worldwide despite being a humble crafting hobby.

Knitting is thriving and booming. All the data show that this industry is growing. The sales are rising despite the health and economic crises. This is indeed a hobby worth pursuing even for men. Are you glad that you made the right choice of starting this hobby?

Related: 

• Sewing stats
• Top sewing stats
• Highly rated sewing stats