By Nancy Azzam
There are many stereotypes of crocheting, such as that it’s a hobby for “old ladies,” or that it’s strictly done by women. The Crochet Club on campus illustrates that these stereotypes of the art are very much not true. Crochet Club seeks to provide a space for those new to crocheting to learn and those who have experience to talk with like-minded artists.
During Crochet Club meetings, members share new techniques and crochet patterns members have created. After introducing the patterns, the club officers assist members who need help with their pieces.
Although there are people of all different skill levels in Crochet Club, most members are beginners. The officers take the time to teach everyone who needs help while providing them with supplies.
Most of the members work on the same project as the officers. However, members of the club are free to crochet a specific item and are able to use a Google Form to request a pattern and work on that pattern in the following meetings.
The club was founded in 2021 by senior Sarah Elyashev who was later accompanied by her co-president and junior Claudia Shin.
Elyashev has a passion for crocheting and thought it would be fun to have an environment at school where students could meet new people while also developing their crochet skills.
“I have been interested in all types of arts since I was very young, but crocheting is actually pretty new to me,” Elyashev said. “I made very small crochet pieces with a rainbow loom hook in third grade, but I started taking it more seriously in 2020, right after quarantine began.”
For both leaders of the club, crocheting is relatively new, which is why they are so focused on helping beginners learn the art.
“When I first became co-president of Crochet Club in 2021, I’d actually only crocheted for about a year,” Shin said. “Before that, I had learned how to knit when I was really young, probably around five years old.”
In the future, the club aspires to expand the types of crocheting that they do.
Another possible addition to the club that they are considering is organizing projects where the pieces crocheted in the club can be donated. For example, the co-presidents have discussed having members crochet clothing pieces, such as gloves and scarves for the homeless.
“I’ve seen people create a lot of cool things in our club, but I would say the most exciting thing is when people start to get the hang of crocheting,” Elyashev said. “Crocheting can have a steep learning curve and is a little frustrating when first starting out. Seeing people finally understand and have fun creating whatever they want is very rewarding.”
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