Maybe it’s the years of pandemic burnout or the looming threat of another viral outbreak that has got young people eschewing night clubs in favor of book clubs.
And who can blame them – it’s scary out there! With climbing inflation, highly contagious diseases running amok, and escalating tempers in general, the safe bet seems to hunker down at home and mentally, physically, and emotionally reset.
This great reset is causing a lot of people to reconsider how we spend our time, arguably our most precious and finite resource. But instead of the pre-pandemic Hustle & Grind approach to living the best YOLO life, we’re finding comfort and meaning in slowing down. Like, all the way down to a quiet idle.
Enter the Granny Era. A tiny hashtag trend of people embracing the sort of lifestyle and hobbies usually identified with our grandmothers. Living one’s best Granny Era is taking a quiet respite to enjoy the kind of materially satisfying hobbies that keep hands busy and minds focused.
What’s a Granny Era hobby, specifically? Anything you can do from the comfort of your front porch, kitchen table, or armchair while watching Netflix. Think painting, needlepoint, and knitting. More often than not, these kinds of hobbies can yield beautiful works to be cherished for generations to come, no matter which generation made them.
Curious about Granny Era hobbies? Grab your coziest shawl and let’s ease into it!
Painting
There’s something very Regency-era about setting up a portable easel on a hilly landscape and capturing the verdant glory of a field in full bloom. So many grandmothers pick up painting as empty-nesters, but who says you have to wait until retirement to embrace your inner Picasso?
Don’t have an artistic bone in your body? Try a paint-by-numbers canvas. There’s a ton of companies creating kits for adults from quirky and contemporary designs to personalized pictures created from your own photos.
Needlepoint
At first glance, picking up needlepoint can seem like a daunting affair. Needlepoint tapestries are literal works of art taking thousands of hours, and miles of silk thread to create intricate scenes worthy of a Renaissance artist. But also, needlepoint can be a goofy little design you knock out in an evening. In other words, it’s scalable. Start small and go big. Or, start small and stay small. Just start and see what happens.
Party Girl, Parker Posey, is a long-time needlepoint fan and shares how she got into the hobby. “Both my grandmothers were southern women who would sit on the porch and sew during difficult times. If there ever was a time to sit down and go stitch by stitch and color by color, it’s now, right?” says Posey. Check out her tips for beginners as well as some fun kits.
Knitting
As a trend, knitting is firmly in its endemic stage, probably because it’s portable, a scarf is a good starter project and everyone could always use another scarf, and once you’ve locked down the movements, it’s extremely satisfying.
Learning how is basically a 1-2-3 step process and there are thousands of videos and explainers to help get you started. Bonus: the knitting community is tight, both online and in real life
Joy Of Missing Out (JOMO): Netflix & Knit
You don’t have to have plans to cancel in order to experience the unique and exquisite pleasure of JOMO: the act of canceling plans to stay in. Sometimes saying no to your buddies means saying yes to you and your date with Netflix.
Level Up your best Granny Era with a pampering treatment you can set and let it work its magic while you’re happily knitting away.
Purifying Charcoal Gentle Peeling Foot Mask: These Peeling Foot Masks take between 60 to 90 minutes which is just the about the same running time as And So It Goes starring Diane Keaton and Michael Douglas. It’s a silly little RomCom completely compatible with splicing your attention between crocheting and the plot. Just throw on the masks at the opening scene and when the credits roll, you’re all done!
Green Tea Hydrogel Under-Eye Patches: Eye strain can cause tired, tight eyes that can benefit from a skin nourishing boost. Stay-in-place hydrogel eye patches deliver hydration directly to where you need it most. These take about 20 minutes to do the job, the length of an episode of Grace & Frankie.
Calming Pink Clay Face Mask: Made with calamine and clay, the mask soothes irritated skin while drawing out impurities from the skin. After 20 to 40 minutes, your face is refreshed, and radiant. Pop on one of these top ten ranked episodes of Golden Girls, two if you’re feeling extra golden.
