Sonoma State’s student cultural center, the HUB, hosted a one-hour beginner crochet session that was open to all students on Thursday, Oct. 28. Students used the session to relax, and were provided with free crochet materials, snacks, along with crochet video tutorials.

The HUB is a community building safe space on campus that promotes diversity and allows students to create long lasting connections. Students can host various events at the HUB that innovate cultural expression and individuality. Thursdays’ crochet event was a self-care crafting program run by HUB intern, Ashley Rydell, called “Crochet with Ash.”

The crochet program has been held at the HUB in previous years, and meets about three times a semester. At the session, students were given all necessary crochet materials and worked with the HUB staff to learn how to crochet. Crochet lesson videos played in the background and assisted students in the step-by-step crochet process. 

Rydell is a HUB intern and second-year Women and Gender Studies student at SSU. She spoke about continuing the program, and gave her perspective on the event. Rydell stated that, “I wanted to continue this program because I felt it was important to bring back a crochet session to the HUB. This was my first time hosting a HUB program so I was nervous, but as I’ve held more of these sessions I become more confident each time. It is fulfilling for me to see how happy people can get when they realize they are making something with their hands that they weren’t able to before.”

Rydell further explained why the crochet sessions are fulfilling and memorable to her. She said that, “these sessions emphasize the importance of self-care and resting one’s mind when doing cultural work. My favorite part of the program is getting to craft and talk about crochet with other people. Doing yarn crafts is a passion of mine, so being able to build a community around something that makes me and others happy is really valuable to me.” 

Rosalie Llave, a second-year English major, attended the session and described how she heard about it initially. “ I decided to attend because I first met Ashley on campus at her club table, and she gave me a flyer for this event. I attended because I really like hands-on arts and crafts that don’t involve electronics,” Llave stated. 

Llave elaborated on what she enjoyed the most and why students can benefit from attending these arts and crafts sessions. She explained that, “I really liked this event because the supplies and resources were free for students. I also enjoyed the hands-on aspect of crocheting and how similar it is to knitting, so it made me feel reassured that I could try something new. It was memorable for me to get the opportunity to help others crochet too because I love motivating people. SSU students can really benefit from events like these because it gets them away from electronics and gives them a break from school and stress.” 

At the session, each student that attended was given a ball of yarn and crochet hook to start. The atmosphere was calming and students collaborated with each other on how to start each crochet task. Students ate snacks, laughed, asked questions, and got to know each other. After the session ended, students were allowed to stay longer to finish their crochet or take the HUB materials home with them to finish their work. 

Shawina Ard, a second-year Psychology student, went to the event with a friend and shared what she appreciated the most. She said, “I really liked the fact that I was able to bring the crochet needle and materials home with me. It was memorable getting to be with friends and the crocheting experience was something to remember.” Ard conveyed why more SSU students should attend self-care events by going on to say, “I think the university should continue to promote and post about similar events related to this. The crochet session brought back a feeling of normalcy and it was so nice to be able to socialize with others.”
Rydell mentioned the significance of the HUB and how students can become involved in HUB events. She also stressed the importance of getting to enjoy what the campus community has to offer, by stating, “I absolutely think more students should attend more HUB programs. There are so many cultural programs at the HUB, so there is always the opportunity to learn something new or get involved in community activities. I recommend that people follow the @ssuhub Instagram page to get up to date information on events that are coming up, as well as following our newsletter!”