Just two weeks before I went home for the longest summer break of my life, I made my first crochet animal. Somewhere in my childhood, I acquired a crochet hook and finally decided to use it. My first teddy bear was lonely—just misshapen enough to lack the ability to sit up—but became my first quarantine friend.

In the coming months, I spent many nights crocheting and binging movies. Seeing crochet as a productive way to channel growing isolation frustrations, I was intent on finishing projects as quickly as possible. My “Arts & Crafts” Pinterest board filled up. I began taking weekly trips to Michaels, stocking up on yarn.

While it first seemed like I was crocheting for myself, I realized I was using crafts as a way to connect with the outside world, without directly addressing any real feelings. I didn’t have to post a status update, I could just share a small creation, a sign I was productive. I was making these little things to show to others, to prove that even though times were hard, I wasn’t giving up.

By the fall, my room was adorned with a crochet menagerie of dinosaurs, dragons, gnomes, giraffes, rabbits, and bears. I could produce a stuffed animal from memory in mere hours. All my backpacks contained a spare crochet hook “just in case” I needed to craft on the spot. Crafting had become part of my quarantine personality, one of the few things I could look forward to every day.

After returning to school, the endless free time finally abated. Crochet took a backseat to academics. It became apparent that I wasn’t the only one who took to crafting to fill the solitary hours. I was lucky many of my friends began crafting too, and I was able to combine crocheting with much-missed socializing.

My friend Jackie Cotter ‘23, a fellow knitter, thinks everyone learned how to craft “out of necessity.” During the lockdown, screen-time became such a large part of life that we crafted as a way to rest our minds. Inspiration was almost unavoidable. Crochet was popularized by the DIY "Harry Styles Cardigan.” Resin casting videos were popular on TikTok. Beaded necklaces and colorful bucket hats resurged in popularity.

When I asked people about their newfound hobbies, I received countless enthusiastic responses—from fiber and needle arts to more unusual passions such as making small paper houses and collaging. It was heartening to see all the ways people tried to fill their time over the past year.

A year later, my first crochet bear is a little less lonely now. As am I. Even though it seems like things might be returning back to “normal” soon, I hope everyone keeps their creativity, always remembering how crafting was there when we had so few options. While I am thankful that quarantine provided me the time and opportunity to pick up a new hobby, I am looking forward to what the post-pandemic future of crafting and friendship holds, both with real and homemade friends.

"Making Friends In a Pandemic:" A One-Year Reflection on Quarantine Crafting