“I just wanted to help someone to crochet together, because I’ve loved crocheting since I was a kid … My friends around me didn’t know how to crochet at all. So I was like, why not just find someone from this university?”
When Ando wanted to start the club she advertised through posters and social media. The response was overwhelmingly positive. Within a short period of time, the club grew from 12 to 60 members in its very first year.
The Crochet Club now hosts monthly meetings and themed events where students of all skill levels can drop in to crochet or relax. Ryen Lavoie, a visual arts student and the club’s secretary, explained that anyone can get involved, even if they simply want to hang around.
“You don’t need to have crochet experience to join the club. If you’re interested in learning to crochet, we have people who are willing to teach … We have the tools and the materials, and the stuff to teach crochet at those events.”
The Crochet Club has been actively trying to create opportunities where students can engage. In UFV’s Sustainability Market, they hosted a craft booth and have recently collaborated with other groups like the Hub Club and SUS. As Ando explained, the club also participates in decorating the Student Union Building (SUB) during the winter holidays.
“We crocheted some Christmas ornaments for… the huge Christmas tree in [the SUB] every year. So that was a collaboration for us.”
Crochet is a hobby growing in popularity and trending all over social media. For those new to the craft, Ando advised students to be patient, start simple, and focus on what excites them most. Lavoie repeated that advice, encouraging beginners to focus on projects they like.
“If you’re not interested in making a scarf a million times and you really want to make a plushie — and that would be more interesting to you — that is a way to keep yourself engaged.”
Over the past year, the club hasn’t just grown in numbers — it’s grown into a real welcoming community. It has become a space where students from any program and background can join in. It is not just to crochet, but to relax and bond over shared interests. Whether it’s learning a new stitch, or just chatting over movies and snacks, there’s always something to look forward to.
The team hopes to keep on building this sense of connection by continuing to host events in the future and welcoming even more students into the club.
As Lavoie said, “It’s a fun time … a great space for new crocheters and seasoned crocheters.”
Hello, I’m Gauri Sethi, a passionate staff writer at the Cascade responsible for writing content that resonates with the masses. Currently, I am pursuing business administration, but deep down, I am a person who loves expressing herself through writing.