Amid a turbulent jobs market, repeated lockdowns and restrictions, the coronavirus pandemic has presented a unique opportunity for Brits to dedicate time to passion projects, according to research from UK craft supplier LoveCrafts.

From updating interiors and gardening, to crafting, textiles and sewing, savvy hobbyists have turned their pandemic pastimes to monetised hustles, with over one million businesses started during 2020 and 2021.

The company surveyed 2,090 Brits.

13% (4.1 million) have crafted items to then sell. 6% (1.7 million) make a living from doing this.

5% (1 million) said the pandemic led them to change their career and now sell crafts as their main job.

Edward Griffith, CEO and Founder, LoveCrafts comments: "Coming through such a difficult couple of years, we've seen a rise in hobbyists monetising their crafts and it's been dubbed it the year of the hobby hustle.”

“We have thousands of independent knitting, crochet and stitching designers who have uploaded hundreds of thousands of patterns to LoveCrafts, and in 2021, there were millions of downloads for indie patterns.”

He adds: “We work with, and promote indies at every opportunity and offer help and support with marketing, including yarn and thread support, and the chance to collaborate with our marketing and design teams.”

“It's so gratifying to see how much the value of handmade crafts has increased, given the endless hours of creativity and skill that goes into them, and it's great to see that handmade items are so sought after."

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