A Crafting Boom Since the '90s?

Hi, I read in an article recently that before the ’90s, the selection of colors and qualities for wool and other craft supplies wasn’t as extensive. But that since then, there have been more and more options available, and that’s why more people are taking up crafts. Is that true?

Hi.... That's true..... At least back then, there wasn't as much variety. Since the early 2000s, the selection has kept growing. Now there's a huge variety.

Thanks, Nicole—so I did understand that correctly. What was it like before the boom? Was there just less of what’s available now? I can’t really picture it.

Well, from 1986 to 1997, there was a tiny yarn shop in the small town nearby. They carried yarn from big companies like Schachenmayer and Gründl, if I remember correctly. The color selection was much smaller. And there was more sock yarn. That was all in a rural area, though. I have no idea what it was like in big cities. I also didn’t have the option to buy yarn online back then. When I look at it today, the color selection is huge—including many companies I’d never even heard of before. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t exist. Every year, new colors and new yarn blends come out, and there are many online retailers alone. And there are more stores—including large ones—that sell yarn. However, I’ve lived near a big city and in a completely different region since 2007. Maybe someone who’s lived in the same place for 30 years can observe this better and share their experiences. But just looking at the color palettes, you can see that the selection has grown.

The small yarn shop slowly began to expand in 1998. 

Back in the ’70s, right here in Düsseldorf—in our neighborhood alone—there were three yarn shops that already offered great yarns back then. But cotton and other yarns weren’t available in as many color shades as they are today. Then crafting simply faded away. It was considered “old-fashioned” and was no longer trendy at all. The yarn shops disappeared, and the only option left was usually to buy yarn and supplies at the department store in the city center, since the internet didn’t exist yet.
The “NEW” trend of crafting isn’t actually that old. I think I once read that it has something to do with the digital age. The more computers took over the world and our lives, the more crafting and creativity fell by the wayside. Today, people simply enjoy creating things with their own hands again, and crocheting and knitting are just ideal for that. But you can also see it in many other areas that had long been neglected. Decorating the home, gardening, woodworking, and many other things. Take a look at the displays at the newsstand—alongside many needlework magazines, you’ll now find magazines for sewing, “country living,” craft projects, and more.
I can only hope this trend lasts a long time and that many people discover something in it for themselves.
Warm regards
Petra

Do you think the current DIY boom will last, or do you think it’ll eventually die down?
I just have a really hard time imagining how this could keep going if the supply keeps growing and there’s more variety and more patterns.
Will the market eventually become saturated, or is that impossible given how widespread it is online?
I just don’t have a good grasp of the situation or any experience with it.