Hooked on Community: Loyola’s Knit and Crochet Club Nominated for Campus Activities Network Award

Creative. Growth. Joyful. Welcoming. Camaraderie. 

That’s how the Loyola University Chicago Knit and Crochet Club executive board members, led by President Esohe Igbinovia, describe the community they’ve built. 

The group was nominated by students for the Campus Activities Network’s Outstanding Hobby/Special Interest Organization of the Year award at the annual Student Organization Awards presented April 13 in the Damen Multi-Purpose Room. 

“I’m so happy that the club has been nominated,” Igbinovia said. “The board and I have put in so much time into making sure the club is a happy and welcoming place for everyone. To know people love the club so much to nominate us makes my heart so happy.” 

Inside Cuneo 109 every Thursday evening, colorful chatter fills the room as Ramblers knit and crochet beside friends. Blue, purple, yellow, orange, white and black yarn balls scatter across tables as hooks and needles click alongside the distant music playing through the speakers.

In one corner on March 19, a student leans forward as a board member slowly demonstrates a pattern. He watches closely, asking questions as the yarn loops around dark blue needles. Across the room, more experienced members sit comfortably with their knees tucked to their chests, crocheting instinctively alone or with friends. 

For the hour they’re there, students decompress from midterms, deadlines and stress while their hands create vibrant patterns.

“This club has really been my emotional support,” Igbinovia said. “It’s my safe space.”

This year, the club more than doubled its original numbers from the previous year. Vice President Krtistina Cazares attributed improved, cohesive advertising and consistent weekly meetings to the growth.

Cazares, a third-year pre-med molecular biology major, joined the club during the spring semester of her first year, wanting to learn a new hobby. Now, she teaches other students how to crochet at Knit and Crochet Club events like Granny Square Night, a beginner-friendly workshop for one of crochet’s most versatile patterns.

“It’s fun to teach that to people, to make something and be proud of it [and] to give back to my community,” Cazares said. “We’re teaching a skill that could prove useful to some people as relaxation.”

Knowing how to crochet can be a valuable skill for the community, Cazares added. 

Before joining the club, Igbinovia was a sophomore struggling with anxiety and looking for a space to share her interest. 

“Crochet helped me combat my social anxiety,” she said. “We’ve been trying to create a space for everyone, whether they know how to crochet or not.”

For many students, the welcoming atmosphere keeps them coming back. 

Second-year Margaret Dahle said she joined the club after a difficult first collegiate year dealing with medical issues.  

“One day I woke up and realized I didn’t really have any friends,” Dahle said. “[Crochet] was something I loved to do, and everyone was just so welcoming.” 

Dahle said the club allows students to connect over a shared hobby while learning new skills together.  

“You’ll see someone coming in as a beginner, and a few meetings later, they’re crocheting a bag or knitting a scarf,” Dahle said. “That’s so cool to watch.” 

Third-year Allison Solare said the club provides a break from the constant pace of college life as a Resident Assistant. 

“I’m pretty busy,” Solare said. “[Here] I can just relax and talk to people. The social aspect also motivates me to keep up with my projects.” 

Beyond the personal impact the club has on its members, the fellowship is affecting the community outside of campus, partnering with yarnify! —  a local yarn store in Chicago’s South Loop — to host classes and bring attention to the small business. In recent meetings, they also crafted items to donate to children in the area with Hooks4Healing and held an Eco Night to make yarn beds to donate to homeless people. 

Although Igbinovia was “terrified” when she became president, her push to expand the group’s outreach grew meeting attendance from just five members the previous year to about 35 this year.

“The former president told me, ‘Don’t let this club die,’ so I can’t let this club die,” Igbinovia said. “I need to do things to make sure people show up.” 

For many members, the tradition of fiber arts, a creative practice utilizing synthetic or natural fibers, adds another layer of meaning as the crochet community grows. 

Cazares attributed the increased popularity of crochet to social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, which motivated students to join the club and align with the organization’s main purpose of education. Adding her own motivation to join stemmed from the satisfaction of successfully completing a snowflake.

For Dahle, the club’s not only about community, but also about preserving the history behind fiber arts, noting the communal nature of fiber arts has always been a fundamental aspect of the craft, and mirrors the core values of the club. 

Though the spring semester comes to an end and finals approach, students are encouraged to stop by Cuneo 109 Thursday at 6 p.m. to learn something new, make friends and relax.

“This club has really been my own emotional support,” Igbinovia said. “It has really showed me that the student body here is just sweet, amazing people. Everyone’s so nice and talkative, but it helped me so much with my own anxieties.”

Laughter floats above the soft, rhythmic clicking of needles as a sense of mutual support fills the meeting space. Bathed in the glow of the setting spring sun, these Ramblers continue to stitch together a community they are truly proud to call their own.