The crochet club shows off their Halloween creations! ANNA SEGOTA/COURTESY
The Crochet Club hosted their annual Halloween event this past Monday, with members coming together to celebrate and make some new creations.
The Crochet Club hosts several different holiday events, such as Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day. Their next crochet event will be a Thanksgiving project on Monday Nov. 20th, right before break starts.
At each event the club hosts, a new themed pattern is selected for the members to make and practice their skills on, with seasonal treats also being served. Since this event was for Halloween, trick-or-treat candy was set out for everyone to enjoy.
During the meeting, members were given a pattern for a pumpkin coaster, and provided with the materials needed to make it by the board. While most people participated in the coaster project, members were also encouraged to get creative, with some using the materials to create pumpkin bracelets, or working on personal projects as well.
The club’s board provides yarn, hooks and other necessary materials for the members. The board pays for all of the costs and needs of the club themselves. Members told The Quadrangle crochet supplies are very expensive, and the cost of buying for the entire club is hard on the board members. The club is hoping to host a fundraising event, perhaps selling some of their crochet projects.
The Crochet Club was founded last year by current seniors Samantha Pericelli, Isabella Vidales and Jess DeFeo. They originally made the club to crochet and create together, as it was hard to find time in their busy schedules.
“Samantha and I are both super busy, but we have contrasting schedules and one of the reasons why we bonded in the first place is because we both like to crochet,” said Vidales when asked about the club’s origins. “So, we were interested in making a dedicated time for us to be able to crochet together and then we realized that other people were interested as well.”
Now in its second year, the club has experienced a lot of growth, with new interest from upperclassmen, as well as freshman joining, the Crochet Club’s membership has almost tripled since this time last year.
“I’ve been crocheting for a couple of years and I just wanted more exposure to different projects,” said freshman Ashley Zegler, when asked why she attends meetings.
Board member’s first hosted a three part introductory event to crocheting before
starting regular meetings this year. Crocheting is a complicated process, and the board wanted to make sure that new members wouldn’t be intimidated or discouraged from joining and could understand the basics before moving onto larger projects.
The crochet club allows people to learn and share their interest in this hobby with one another, some members being life-long crocheters, and others picking up hooks for the first time. The engagement brought on by students here at MC have helped keep this centuries old practice alive, and reigniting family traditions.
“My mom taught me how to crochet,” said DeFeo. “She’d send me to my grandma’s house and we would crochet and then I kind of just forgot about it. Last year, I saw Sam and Jess crocheting again and thought maybe I should pick it up. Then I did, and it was so fun! I will probably never put it down ever again.”