Hooked on crochet: Long Island clubs offer cozy crafts and connection
From left, Lily Barracca, 8, gets some pointers from homeowner and crochet club hoster, Caroline Schimpf in Greenlawn. Credit: Elizabeth Sagarin
In a time where as many as one in five Americans reports feeling lonely according to a recent Gallup Poll, the mild-mannered crochet hook may be the best weapon we have against the epidemic of loneliness.
Long Islanders from 8 to 80 are fighting back against isolation, hook and yarn, with crochet clubs that not only make cool and cozy stuff, donate to charities but create connections, build community and encourage conversation.
Groups gather in libraries, at homes, stores and online. Hook & Needle, which meets Mondays at Bayville Free Library, hosts an average 17 to 20 women, ages 29 to 80+, for two hours (and many more hours on their group chat). They work on individual projects, decorate a seasonal library display, make bookmarks for library patrons, and pitch in on projects like blankets for veterans, or winter hats for school supply drives.
Christine Quigley, 56, of Bayville, decorates a crocheted holiday tree for Memorial Day. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
“It’s something beautiful,” says Linda Chianese, 65, a retired school psychologist from Bayville. "You can sit anywhere at this table and any time a project comes up — kids need hats or another group needs something — people jump right in and do what’s needed. And if you’re struggling to work on a stitch or a pattern, just ask. There’s always someone who knows and people are here to help. They are such great guides.”
Young people are getting hooked
From left, the Crochet Club members Brynn Sak, 9, Taya Sak, 7, Bridget, 4, and Juliet Schimpf, 8, Avery McCarthy, 7, Leah Langenbach, 8, Grace Wappel, 8, Lily Barracca, 8 and Scarlett O'Donnell, 8, in Greenlawn. Credit: Elizabeth Sagarin
While many of the participants are long retired, younger folks are joining, too. Freelance artist Alexandra Finley, 29, from Lattingtown, found Hook & Needle in March through the writer of a book she illustrated. She is now a regular attendee, with a table full of volunteer aunties singing her praises. “I was very isolated,” she says. “When I came, they were all nice and very helpful. It’s just nice to be around people.”
There is more to crochet groups than producing scarves. Research by the Mayo Clinic and others suggests that doing crafts can prevent or slow cognitive decline in old age. And mental health professionals extol the virtues of crochet. Here on Long Island, Hispanic Counseling Center (HCC) in Hempstead and Bay Shore incorporates crochet in its Community Mental Health Promotion and Support (COMHPS) group sessions.
“Crochet offers several mental health benefits,” says CEO Claudia Boyle, herself an avid crocheter. “It reduces anxiety, improves focus, provides a sense of accomplishment, and creates space for meaningful conversation and mutual support.”
Friends Juliet Schimpf, 8, left and Avery McCarthy, 7, started the Greenlawn Crochet Club in November. Credit: Elizabeth Sagarin
That sense of accomplishment is a driver for the younger set. After their moms taught them the basics, Juliet Schimpf, 8, of Greenlawn, and her friend Avery McCarthy, 7, of Harborfields, started a home-based weekly crochet club in November for their friends. “I love crochet so much,” Juliet says. “It is something to do that I can focus on. When I am finished then I have something useful that I made and I can be proud of.”
At Waldorf School in Garden City, crochet is integral to the third grade curriculum. “There are so many things students get from the practical arts; in crochet specifically, it grounds them in their dominant hand, there is inherent geometry, they have to count and keep track of the pattern,” says handwork teacher Karen Talluto. “It also teaches perseverance, because sometimes you have to go backward to go forward. It’s an opportunity to work through challenges and have success.”
Parents and children are bonding over crochet. In Massapequa, retired beauty adviser Margaret Zanone, 60, takes adult education classes in crochet with her daughter, Adriana, 23. “We’re close as mother and daughter, so it’s nice that we have a hobby together,” Margaret Zanone says.
Helping local businesses
People start crocheting and soon end up doing just as much talking with friends. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
Crochet groups also support local businesses. Nest on Main, a home decor marketplace, and Sweet Arts, a candy store and craft party shop, both in Northport, extend their market with crochet classes.
Infinite Yarns, in Farmingdale, one of the few remaining full-service fiber arts stores on Long Island, is surviving the competition from internet yarn stores through private lessons and evening and weekend crochet and knitting groups where some crocheters have been coming for more than 15 years. The vibrant community talks and laughs as much as it crochets, and welcomes and nurtures newbies.
Never underestimate the power of the simple crochet hook. Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Angela Arnone, 81, from Seaford explains, “You start out with knitting and crocheting and then you start talking, and it becomes a family. If someone has a problem we try to pitch in.”
Over at the Bayville Free Library, Emily Goodyear, 80, Bayville customer service agrees. “We all have problems,” she says. “You can have depression. This gets you out of it and you look forward to it. It’s like medicine.”
