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Every Wednesday, Syracuse University senior Sam Valerion — along with her roommate, Adele Songalia, and friend, Nina Tran — spent half an hour dragging chairs into circles and winding skeins of yarn in preparation for another busy night of Crocheting for the Community.

“I created this to be a fun, low-stakes place where people who have never touched any art form ever can pick up a hook and learn,” Valerion said.

Every Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m., Crocheting for the Community meets in the Hall of Languages at SU. The club provides a safe space for people of all skill levels to learn how to crochet. Each week, members can bring their own projects or learn something new.

The club was inspired by an honors program class called “Crocheting for a Cause” that Valerion took her junior year. In the class, students completed projects for the community, including making baby hats to donate to local hospitals and a community blanket.

Valerion loved the experience of learning to crochet in class and wanted to share it with others. While many of her friends were interested in the class, they couldn’t enroll since it is only open to honors students. Valerion founded the crochet club so it could be open to everyone.

“Accessibility was at the bottom of all of it,” Valerion said. “I feel that some art spaces aren’t always so accessible and are exclusive to people who are ‘artists.’”

Alicia Hoppes | Staff Photographer

A club member presents her completed beginner crochet pumpkin during the meeting. The craft changes each week, allowing club members to create something new every time they attend.

Although this is only the club’s second semester on campus, the meetings have had a large turnout. At the year’s inaugural meeting, students sat on the floor after every seat was filled. People continued to fill the room in the following meeting.

At each session, the room is split into three groups: beginner, intermediate and advanced. While beginners focus on learning stitches, intermediate members craft basic projects like granny squares or three-dimensional stuffed animals. Advanced members learn higher-level versions of the intermediate projects under the guidance of the club organizers.

Freshman Abby Sala learned about Crocheting for the Community from the fall involvement fair. Although she was nervous to join at first and had sparse knowledge of crochet, the club welcomed her with open arms.

Though many club members are beginners with limited experience, some advanced crocheters, like SU sophomore Mercedes Urena, also enjoy attending. Many bring their own projects and just come for the social atmosphere, but they are always open to learning new skills.

“I honestly didn’t know some of the things that they were teaching us so I think they’re pretty great at pacing us with how they teach,” Urena said.

Like Urena, Sala enjoys the social aspect of the club. After walking into the classroom, there are people drawing on the blackboard, sitting on the floor and playing loud music over the speakers.

“I love the music and I’ve already made a couple of new friends, it’s a great atmosphere to be in,” Sala said.

The club is currently focused on teaching new skills to its students, but eventually, its organizers want to serve the broader Syracuse community. When all members are refined enough with their hooks, Valerion said she wants to introduce a charitable aspect to the club and work on projects that can be donated downtown.

“This campus is like a bubble, and to serve those who most need it, we would have to expand outside of SU,” Valerion said.

Published on October 8, 2024 at 12:38 am