Kunal Chaurasia picked up the needle and some yarn when he was 10 years old. Spending afternoons sitting beside his nani, he learnt different stitches and got hooked. ADVERTISEMENT The Bhandup West resident now runs an Instagram business with the moniker Crochet By Kunal and can craft everything from lip balm holders and sunflowers, to bucket hats and Amigurumi (crocheted stuffed toys, popular in Japan).
The business started as a side hustle and grew after Chaurasia decided to make the COVID-19-induced lockdown productive by watching YouTube tutorials to master different techniques. Chaurasia is not the only guy out there crafting something out of yarn. In Kashmir, Nazar Nasir Naik has been crocheting since 2016.
Touted as the “male crocheter of Kashmir” across social media, Naik picked up the skill after learning how to knit from his aunt during unrest in Srinagar. He soon developed his technique, merging old-age knotting to create modern-day products. His business Knotty Crafts now sells flowers, brooches, stuffed animals, beanies and more, all crocheted.
But have these men ever borne the brunt of breaking a stereotype, with crochet often considered an art predominantly pursued by women? “Once I was crocheting at school, and a teacher punished me. She asked me to kneel even though I hadn’t one anything wrong. Apart from that incident, I have never been bullied, I have only received a lot of love on social media,” says Chaurasia.
The common image associated with cr.