A Whole New Generation Is Discovering This Popular "Slow Living" Hobby. Here's How You Can Get Started As Quickly (And Cheaply) As Possible
Slow TV is the popular Norwegian media form where seemingly mundane events, like a train ride or a knitting circle, are broadcast in real-time. A 10-hour Slow TV video documenting a train ride through Norway's Arctic Circle has 9.7 million views on YouTube. It’s the antithesis of my chaotic For You Page over on TikTok — and exactly the energy I need for my American life in 2025. This intentional deceleration of media mirrors a larger movement gaining recognition on social media: "slow living."
Whether we’re looking to recover from an exhausting year, embrace intentional rest, or quietly push back against a culture obsessed with perpetual acceleration, "slow living" holds undeniable appeal. Equal parts philosophy and Pinterest aesthetic, this lifestyle movement has quietly made its way from Norwegian television screens into American culture — just in time for winter.
Carl Honoré, author of In Praise of Slowness, championed a "slow" lifestyle in a viral TED Talk in 2005, encouraging people to step off the relentless hamster wheel of efficiency and embrace a more mindful pace. Decades later, as psychological research tells us our attention spans have only grown shorter, his message feels more urgent than ever. In a world increasingly dominated by distraction, it's no wonder a frustrated corner of the internet is rediscovering Honoré's wisdom as a guide to slowing down.
In true 2025 fashion, I didn’t discover "slow living" through a book like Honoré’s — I found it on Pinterest and TikTok, where the picture was perhaps a little less holistic. According to my explore page, living slow meant sipping coffee from homemade ceramic mugs while gazing out at a frosty meadow, or knitting a cable-knit sweater by the glow of a wood-fired stove.
As someone who lives in a city and not an idyllic cottage, this version of "slow living" once felt pretty unattainable to me. But I was drawn to the intention behind the trending aesthetic and wanted to find a way to embrace the joy of slowing down — without the fireplace or snow-covered pine trees. That’s when I realized one element of this "slow living" vision is actually within reach for most of us: knitting (and crocheting).
Over the past year, my screen time grew embarrassingly high, and my already pea-sized attention span became downright puny. I knew a slower-paced lifestyle — and less screentime — was what I needed to regain some mindfulness. And what is the best antidote to scrolling thumbs? Busy hands. I realized a simple yarn project was just what I needed, occupying my hands just enough of my mind that distracting thoughts and pressing matters (which, in reality, aren’t all that pressing) fade into the background, leaving space to simply be present.
Entire books have been written on the calming effects of the fiber arts. Olympic diver Tom Daley, who famously knit between events at the games, even credited knitting with helping him stay calm under immense pressure. “I honestly think I owe the Olympic gold to knitting," Daley told The Telegraph in 2022. If it can help an Olympian perform at their best, surely it can work wonders for the rest of us.
This winter, I’ve picked up knitting again, and it’s transformed my evenings into something far more enjoyable. It’s a calming ritual I can do while watching TV or listening to music —productive, yet completely free of stress. Best of all, it offers a welcome break from the constant flood of information I face when scrolling on my phone. So, consider this my heartfelt plea: pick up a crochet hook or a pair of knitting needles and give it a try.
If the cost of a new hobby is holding you back from trying this one, good news: crocheting and knitting are worthy investments of time, but the hobby doesn't require a huge investment of money. Online resources like Ravelry have free patterns and public libraries often carry fabric arts books and e-books. I sometimes find secondhand yarn at thrift stores or get discounted materials on sites like yarn.com. I think you'll find that the fiber arts community, both online and in-person, is inclusive and supportive of people who want to learn.
I’ll admit there’s always a bit of a hurdle when learning new skills, but once you grasp the basic crochet or knitting techniques, they become muscle memory. As a beginner, I found video tutorials to be the quickest and most effective way to learn both crafts independently. Diagrams and written instructions felt as clear as concrete, but watching someone go through the motions slowly made all the difference and sped up the learning process.
Take your time learning crochet with this incredibly calming and informative 45-minute tutorial by Toni Lipsey, who teaches foundational techniques. When I learned, after fiddling with a hook and some yarn beside the glow of my laptop screen, I knew how to chain, single, and double crochet. To get the hang of knitting, this introductory video from RJ Knits will teach you what it means to cast on and "purl" and get you started with a set of needles.
Once you’ve watched some tutorials and gotten your fabric arts sea legs, here are some free and beginner-friendly patterns you can try from around the internet:
1.When my mom taught me to knit as a child, I made potholders and dishcloths. These knit squares that could have as many mistakes as a child learning to knit could fit in an 8-by-8" swath of fabric and still be called "finished." I took a lot of pride in those dishcloths, and we still have some in a kitchen drawer somewhere. Nimble Needles' beginner dishcloth pattern will help you practice your knitting skills, and they also have an accompanying video tutorial in case you get lost along the way.
Knit pattern: Dishcloth Pattern In Moss Stitch
2.Granny squares are the perfect crochet project to cobble together any thrifted yarn you have in varying quantities. When most people think of "crochet," they likely picture a granny square: crocheted squares made of clusters (groups of stitches worked together) stitched in the round. For a wearable, easy project, this crochet granny square top pattern is great. It has inclusive sizing, and by the end of making it, you'll be a granny square pro.
Crochet pattern: Caron Crochet Granny Square Top Pattern
One important note with this pattern and others is that the writer may suggest specific brands of yarn, and while you can use the exact product they specify, only two aspects of the yarn are crucial to pay attention to when following a pattern: the material (e.g., wool or cotton) and the weight of the yarn (e.g., bulky or sport).
Certain yarn materials are best suited for certain projects, so using the same material as the one specified is important. The yarn's "weight" refers to the thickness of the material, and it's important because it determines the number of stitches required to make a project a certain size. Yarn weights have names and corresponding numbers (worsted weight corresponds with the number 4), which you can find on the yarn's packaging.
3.I've spotted so many it-girls sporting big scarves and wraps this winter, so this knit wrap project will not only help you embrace the "slow living" trend but a fashion trend, too. Ravelry categorizes the Purl Soho pattern as a "piece of cake," and five-star reviewers agree. The design by Gianna Mueller uses super bulky yarn that is ideal for beginners, as spotting mistakes along the way (and fixing them) is easy with larger stitches.
Purl Soho / Via purlsoho.com
Knit pattern: Purl Soho's Featherdown Wrap
4.In 2022, Tim Burton's Wednesday popularized the crochet snood when Enid crocheted matching ones for her and Wednesday to wear. Since then, patterns for the multi-use style have popped up on crafting sites all over the internet. This Yarnspirations pattern uses up to six yarn colors for a stripey snood like the one Enid wears in the show.
Crochet pattern: Snood
5.If you're willing to take on a knit project requiring more time and yarn, try this simple sweater pattern. Few things are more rewarding than wearing something you've made with your own two hands, especially when it's as chic as this Wool and the Gang design.
Knit pattern: Easy Breezy Sweater Pattern
6.If you're looking for a crochet project that only requires one ball (more accurately, it's called a skein) of yarn, a beanie or winter hat is the way to go. This free pattern from Mama In A Stitch has guided notes for true beginners and can be adjusted to fit any size head.
Crochet pattern: How To Crochet A Perfect Hat
7.Thanks to crochet, reusable bags are, for the first time ever, being described as "stylish." I've used this grocery bag pattern by Two of Wands 6+ times because it is simply the easiest, most practically helpful crochet pattern out there, and you can use pretty much any relatively strong yarn you have on hand. They hold a solid amount of produce and are way cuter than your average reusable shopping bag. I keep one of these in my work bag just in case I stop at a store on my way home. The fishnet design makes for a stretchy bag that can hold so much for the amount of room they take up in my tote bag.
Crochet pattern: French Market Bag
8.For a short knitting project, knit mittens like these from Hirismakes are an easy project that makes for a great wintertime present.
Knit pattern: Fingerless Mitten Pattern
9.Imagine giving someone the cutest gift to ever exist and then being able to tell them, saying, in the words of Julia Fox, "I did it myself." This crochet stuffed animal pattern was designed by Chubbies By Ash, and even though they are a bit more complicated to make than a scarf, the pattern comes with a step-by-step video tutorial, so you'll never be led astray. These homemade plush toys are a Japanese fabric art called amigurumi.
Crochet/Amigurumi pattern: NO SEW Cochet Cubic Animals
10.And, finally, this throw blanket will keep you and your knitting needles busy until spring. Combining knit and purl stitches creates a "tumbling block" geometric texture that will impress every house guest once it's finished. The free pattern has an accompanying video to help you get rolling on the knitting sequence.
Studio Knit / Via youtube.com
Knit pattern: Knitted Blanket In Tumbling Blocks
Whether you’re picking up a forgotten knitting or crochet project, buying yarn for the first time, or simply enjoying a Slow TV crafting circle on YouTube, I hope we can all unravel a bit of stress from our days and embrace a gentler pace this winter.
