By Sarah Gallaher | Staff Writer
Grandmothers are not the only ones with crochet circles.
The Baylor Crochet Club connects college students over their love for the craft, building lasting friendships among members.
The club was chartered in 2021 and remains one of the many hobby-based student organizations at Baylor. Carrollton junior and president Tiffany Phan discovered the club during her freshman year. Phan began crocheting at 4 years old with the help of her grandmother, and she said she was excited to pursue her passion for creativity at college.
“My favorite part about crocheting is the community that we build,” Phan said. “Even though it seems like it’s a small string type of craft, it really does intertwine people together.”
Crocheting uses a hook to loop various types of yarn together, resulting in a repeating pattern that turns into fabric. It can make a variety of objects, such as blankets, plushies and clothing. Phan said she enjoys making granny squares — a basic pattern that makes a square fabric — and compiling them together to make cardigans.
In addition to furthering an existing love for crochet, Phan said she hopes the club will spark interest for those who are new to the craft. Dallas sophomore and vice president Pamela Cordova Rivera said all skill levels are welcome to join.
“You can know absolutely everything about crochet or nothing at all, and we’ll cater to each individual’s level,” Cordova Rivera said. “If you don’t know anything, we’ll go ahead and teach you.”
Workshops held by the club focus on basic skills, like making chains and granny squares. Recently, the Crochet Club held a tulip-making workshop to welcome the spring season.
The club collects dues at the start of the semester that help fund materials and events. Houston senior and treasurer Lily Saterbak said crocheting can be an expensive hobby, so having materials helps aspiring crafters get started. New and existing members can even take materials home to finish projects made during workshops or to work on personal projects.
For Saterbak, the best part of the Crochet Club is watching as members progress in their skills.
“When they learn how to do it, and then they get really excited when they do their first chain or first square, that’s really neat,” Saterbak said.
Crocheting can be a time-consuming craft, and projects can take days, weeks or months to complete. In fact, the Guinness World Record for the longest crochet marathon lasted for 34 hours and seven minutes. For some, this can be discouraging, but the officers encourage their fellow members by visualizing their work in a progress jar.
“Anytime that they even make a little chain, or any bit of progress, we put it inside the progress jar so they can see that we are making slow progress,” Phan said. “Even if it’s something minute, it adds up.”
The club fosters creativity by welcoming work on outside projects as well as those made in the workshops. Additionally, members of the Crochet Club use their talents to serve others through philanthropic efforts. This year, the Crochet Club is making toys for children recovering from cleft lip surgery. The club also encourages members to make scarves and hats for charities like the Salvation Army.
The officers of the Crochet Club hope that it will serve as a creative outlet for years to come. Every member is encouraged to make a granny square, which they add to a quilt that represents members from the past and present. Phan hopes to continue this tradition for the entirety of the club’s duration.
Crocheting brings students together through a common interest, allowing for conversation and community as well as service and creativity. To the officers, spending time doing their favorite hobby together is a moment of relaxation amid their fast-paced college years.
“It’s more just an outlet to relieve stress, socialize and have fun amid the other things that might be going on,” Cordova Rivera said.