By Jamie Keebler
Over quarantine, many of us turned to crafts as an outlet to be creative and pass the time. While for some it was temporary, others were able to pick up a new hobby. I started to crochet when I was 16 by watching YouTube tutorials. It was tricky but I stuck with it and I was especially invested during quarantine. At Pitt, I was excited to join Knittsburgh. The club is where people who crochet, knit, or want to learn either can come together. It fosters a creative environment that also provides an escape from the stresses of college life. Knittsburgh is a place for people with varying levels of experience and motivations for knitting and crocheting.
Madeline started to crochet when she was eight but after a few years she took a hiatus and picked it up again during quarantine. Every week I love seeing her progress on her strawberry which after a lot of work and restarting three times, she has finished and it is adorable.
She is currently working on these lemon pouches that are the cutest containers for a dorm room. Madeline makes her own patterns, which any yarner would know is not an easy task. She also has an Etsy shop called FridaysGarageSale where she sells her fruit pouches and beaded jewelry.
Another member of Knittsburgh, Natalie, started to crochet during the pandemic after her grandmother gave her the materials. Her mom taught her how to do the stitches as she found projects that she wanted to create. For the fall season, she is currently working on small decorative pumpkins that are the perfect project for October. Her larger project at the moment is what she calls her eyeball blanket. The blanket is made up of patches that have various sizes and look like different eyes.
She got the inspiration for the project on Pinterest and every week she comes to Knittsburgh making different eyeball patches, which she will eventually sew together to create the blanket. Her hard work will eventually be worth it when her creepy throw blanket is complete.
While some University of Pittsburgh members come with experience, we have many who come in with no experience. The club is a great environment for learning and encouragement. They provide materials so all you need to bring is your passion for crocheting or knitting. Isha just started to crochet when she joined Knittsburgh in early September. She wanted to learn so that she could make the projects that she sees on her TikTok page. After taking a few weeks to learn the basic stitches, she is now on her way to making her own blanket.
If you are interested in crocheting or knitting and want to be able to make the pieces that you see all over social media, then Knittsburgh is the place to start. We meet in the Cathedral of Learning every Thursday from 9-10 p.m. It is an incredibly creative environment to work in and you never know who you will meet and what will inspire you that week.
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