Every Wednesday at Kennesaw State, students have the opportunity to create scarves, hats and stuffed animals made from a simple ball of yarn.
The Needle Crafts Club at KSU is a space where community members of varying skill levels can gather, socialize and create hands-on art.
The club meets every Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m. in room 2026 of the social sciences building, aside from the weeks of spring break and finals. While the Needle Crafts Club only meets on the Kennesaw campus, club members encourage students from the Marietta campus and non-students to join.
Jamie Radaker started the Needle Crafts Club when she noticed there were no crafty clubs among the hundreds of clubs at KSU. Since then, the club has grown to encompass long-time knitters and those completely new to the craft.
Club members bring their own supplies, which include items like crochet hooks, small needles for sewing, large needles for knitting and of course, lots of yarn.
Cassandra Brown, a junior majoring in video game design, now serves as the club’s president. Brown explained that she was drawn to the club because she had wanted to learn how to crochet for a long time and felt that she needed a hobby.
“I joined the club as a beginner with no experience and now I’ve progressed into making things such as hats, scarves, and lots of amigurumi,” Brown said. “Overall, crocheting helps me to relax and de-stress after a long day. It always feels amazing to see a completed project that I’ve handmade myself.”
Brown expressed that by not having club dues, individual members are empowered to work on whatever art projects they like. Members have made teddy bears, tablecloths, hats, scarves and stuffed-animal art called amigurumi. Brown proudly displayed her own amigurumi, a palm-sized orange octopus with googly eyes that she had been working on.
Amigurumi are small stuffed yarn creatures made by knitting or crocheting, and they originated in Japan.
“My first experience with amigurumi was actually with the club. We all made little Pikachus,” Brown said. “That’s when I discovered that I enjoyed amigurumi more than clothing. Ever since then I’ve been making little stuffed creatures for fun. I believe my favorite amigurumi is a bumblebee.”
Not all the members of Needle Crafts Club are as advanced to work on something as complicated as amigurumi, which members view as a good thing, because the club has allowed them to learn from each other and gradually develop their skill sets, even while working on separate projects.
“Having an experienced eye helps,” junior psychology major Kelsey Ruckert said.
Club members expressed that there is no shame in needing help as many members joined the club as beginners.
“I got really frustrated with it for my first month,” Brown said. “You have to stick with it.”
Those interested in learning more about the Needle Crafts Club can visit its OwlLife page at owllife.kennesaw.edu/organization/ncc.
