The Story Behind the Crochet Pop Fidget

A Classroom Idea 

The Crochet Pop Fidget was never supposed to exist.

In 2023, while completing a practicum placement in an elementary classroom, education major Riley Konesky (me) noticed a common challenge among students. Even when children were asked not to use fidgets, they naturally sought sensory input in other ways. Whether it be through tapping pencils or clicking water bottles, students always found some way to fidget… noisily.

As someone with ADHD, I understood that instinct firsthand. 

Later that night, I racked my brain trying to figure out some sort of solution. 

Frustrated, I decided to crochet instead… and that’s when the magic happened.

I had my heart set on making a crochet goose. After a few minutes of my favorite reality show and some stitches, I realized I had made a mistake in the stitch count. Even more frustrated than before, I unraveled the piece and was left holding a small crocheted half-circle that was headed for the trash.

Before throwing it away, however, I absentmindedly pressed it between me fingers. It popped... quietly.

What had started as a crochet mistake suddenly felt like the solution I had been looking for. The small piece provided satisfying sensory feedback while remaining soft, lightweight, and completely silent.

A few days later, the first batch of Crochet Pop Fidgets was created for sixteen first-grade students. 

Testing the Idea

After seeing how much the students enjoyed the Crochet Pop Fidgets, I was curious if the appeal extended beyond the classroom. To find out, I filled a bin with pop fidgets and left them out at my university anonymously.

And I waited.

The response was immediate. Everywhere I went, students had them in their hands. People stopped to talk about how satisfying the little pop felt and how they could fidget with them during class without creating noise or distractions.  

An Unexpected Viral Success

Just one month later, in October 2023, I posted a video featuring the Crochet Pop Fidget to TikTok.

What happened next was completely unexpected.

The video reached 1 million views within 2 weeks, introducing the Crochet Pop Fidget to millions of people around the world. Orders began arriving from across the United States, and what started as a project for sixteen students quickly became a nationwide small business.

Within months, more than 6,000 Crochet Pop Fidgets had been sold and shipped to customers across the country.

For me, the most rewarding part wasn't the numbers; it was hearing from teachers, parents, therapists, students, and adults who found comfort, focus, and enjoyment in something that had started as a simple classroom idea.

Although the Crochet Pop Fidget has reached thousands of people, its mission remains the same as it was in that first classroom.

Each fidget is designed to provide a quiet, tactile experience that supports focus, self-regulation, and sensory engagement. Whether used in a classroom, therapy office, workplace, or at home, every Crochet Pop Fidget is rooted in the belief that movement and learning can work together.

After a brief sabbatical from online orders, I’m relaunching with my own website and store… and I could not be more excited!

A Quick Note

When my Crochet Pop Fidget unexpectedly went viral, I never imagined how many people it would reach. Since then, many makers and small businesses have created and sold their own versions of crochet pop fidgets.

That genuinely makes me happy.

One of my goals in releasing the pattern for free was to make sensory tools more accessible and encourage creativity within the crochet community. The more people creating fidgets that help others focus, self-regulate, and feel comfortable in their environments, the better.

While you're welcome to explore other makers and styles, every Crochet Pop Fidget purchased here is handmade by me with the same care, passion, and educational perspective that inspired the original design.

Thank you for supporting my small business and being part of this journey!