The University of Rhode Island’s crochet club is one of the newest groups on campus where members are learning new skills and expressing themselves through their work.
The club, which started last semester, started as a desire for some Health Services employees to learn how to crochet and has since grown into an activity that both employees and students are able to partake in.
Last semester, Health Services employee Jessica Greene expressed that it would be nice if Health Service members got together to crochet emotional support pickles and pass them out to students. However, she didn’t know how to crochet and neither did the other staff members. After seeing a student crocheting in the waiting room of the Potter Building, she as well as other members of Health Services decided to create a crochet club where staff and students could learn how to crochet.
This student, Juanita Jaramillo, became the first member of the crochet club and has since helped teach Health Service members and URI students alike how to crochet.
In its original meetings, the club welcomed around 15 students and staff to each meeting. The club would provide members with basic materials to get them started, and together they would learn and connect.
Now in its second semester, the club has moved its meetings into the Memorial Union. At its first meeting, 33 people showed up and they had to relocate to the lounge area of the Union to accommodate everyone.
The club now allows members to borrow materials at the first meeting to try out the activity and see if they are interested in returning. From then on, students need to bring their own supplies so that other students can use the shared materials, according to Greene.
Over the summer the club advertised for students who had prior experience with crochet to join the club as “crochet leaders” and teach students who were learning.
“It seems like there’s a real interest,” said Greene. “People like it; they learned how to crochet in high school, or they’ve been crocheting for a little while, and they like doing it, and they like doing it with others.”
Due to the attention the organization has been receiving the crochet club is currently in the process of getting the club officially recognized by the student senate.
While crochet is often looked at as an individual hobby, members of the club note that it’s nice to be surrounded by people with similar interests when doing it.
“There’s that camaraderie,” said Greene. “It’s a nice hobby that you can do and learn by yourself but you can also connect with others and it can be a nice social thing.”
While attending the meeting, Greene observed students make hats, baskets, sweaters and toys for themselves. As far as personal crochet goals go, Greene has a Woobles crochet kit, a kit that gives step by step instructions to crochet a stuffed animal, that she would like to learn to do.
Overall, the club aims to provide a space that allows students to participate in a relaxing activity and get to know more students who also have an interest in crafts such as crochet, according to Greene.
For students interested in joining, the club meets Mondays at 5 p.m. in the Memorial Union Atrium 2.