Rednote (小红书) has found an activation in a place most platforms overlook: knitting. This week, the lifestyle app hosted an offline gathering in Shanghai for zhinü (织女), an affectionate term self-prescribed by women. The idea was to bring a niche hobby out of the comment section and into a physical space.
The event drew a mix of veteran crafters, curious newcomers and the kind of people who dropped in to take a quick look but ended up sticking around. The whole setup leans heavily on Rednote’s creator economy: a curated marketplace featuring 17 knitting stalls selling handmade pieces, while more than ten exhibitions turned the venue into a walk-through showcase of what the platform’s community has been making. Of course, none of this came without opportunities for the kind of photo taking that can easily translate back into posts.
But the sharpest move was how the event framed knitting as a lifestyle, not just a skill. Rednote went as far as arranging traditional Chinese medicine consultations focused on wrists and necks, a nod to the aches that come with hours of repetitive work. It also ran a yarn recycling pop-up, encouraging a conscious consumption message.
It’s not a push that stops in Shanghai. Rednote has also teamed up with Starbucks – yes, that Starbucks – to create more than 1,000 ‘craft-friendly’ locations around China where users can bring their projects, sit for an afternoon, or join a themed session.
The strategy reflects Rednote’s wider bet on long-tail interests. The platform has begun shifting itself toward being the home of interest communities, not just a forum for posting and comments. In its 2025 Interest Report, Rednote said knitting and crochet were among the year’s top interests. This is a platform listening to its users and leaning into a strategy of online-to-offline community building.
