You deserve to relax

Who’s going to part with their hard-earned cash for a jersey you made? Here’s why hobbies don’t have to become side-hustles.

- PATIA BRAITHWAITE

One of the only fun surprises of the coronavirus pandemic is how many people are taking up new, random hobbies. A quick scroll through Instagram will treat you to a stream of indoor gardens, repurposed furniture, impressive breadmaking and cross-stitch patterns. I’m not immune.

Over the last five months, I’ve made pasta from scratch and tried collaging. I’ve taken a writing class, baked, and started a book club with a Bumble match. I even flirted with learning a language. Nothing stuck until a friend sent me a knitting kit.

After hours of struggling through basic stitches, I was well on my way to making something scarf shaped. From there, things escalated quickly. Two balls of wool turned into 10. I had needles in different sizes. There was a knitting project for the couch and a separate one I worked on in bed (I live in a studio, so this is really unnecessary). With every raggedy row and stitch, I cemented my new persona. I became Someone Who Knits.

That’s when the real fantasies began: I’d open an online shop and sell poorly knitted scarves to adoring masses, I’d launch an online community of Black girls who knit (which already exists and is spectacular, BTW). Somewhere between my first wool purchase and wrestling with a jersey pattern, it dawned on me that I shouldn’t turn my hobby into a second job.

And now I share that wisdom with you: if you’re really excited about your new pandemic hobby, please, I implore you, resist the urge to make it a new side hustle.