When you think of fiber arts, you may picture a grandmother knitting socks or crocheting a scarf for her grandchild.

Maybe she’s sitting in a rocking chair by a fire, warm and cozy as her wrinkled hands work. 

But, the craft has sparked interest among younger people in recent years, including here in Colorado Springs. 

Thirty-two-year-old Mary Logan started Colorado Springs Crochet Crew last January. With nearly 300 members in the Facebook group, individuals share their progress online and some members meet to work on projects together. 

Amber Smith works on a project during a gathering of crochet enthusiasts on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. (Photo by Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette)

“It’s fun because we’ve created this little community online and in person, that once you finish a project we’re all going to celebrate it,” Logan said. “Even if you’re not finishing something, you’re learning something. That’s a huge accomplishment.”

Logan was inspired to create the group after seeing interest from the local community about a crochet class. Now, the group meets on Thursdays to share tips, work on projects and just talk with each other. Those in-person groups usually host about 10-12 members. 

“It really just became this collaborative group of tips and tricks and pattern swapping,” Logan said. “Especially with kids and work and school, it’s really hard to just find a place to just talk. And it became almost like a little therapy session for a lot of us.”

The group is made up of everyone from teenagers to women in their 70s, Logan said. Grandmas in the group may make gifts for grandkids, moms work on projects for kids — it’s become a great way to bring generations together.

“My nieces come and they’re eight and 10, and I have people who are in their 70s coming every week to crochet,” she said. “Really, any age that you want to learn and crochet, there’s going to be someone in the group at that same age.”

A project in the making during a gathering of crochet enthusiasts on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. (Photo by Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette)

Logan points in part to the COVID-19 pandemic for pushing younger people into the craft. 

“People think crochet is one of those grandma crafts or hobbies,” she said. “Since COVID, especially since we were all trapped inside for so long, we all needed something to do, and I really think since COVID we’ve seen a huge influx of people in the my age group really wanting to learn some kind of craft like this.”

Logan first learned to crochet when she was seven, taught by her mother and grandmother.

“It’s a hard skill to learn, I always tell people it’s almost like learning a new language with all of the stitches and how to fold your hooks and how to hold your yarn,” she said. “You’re really learning a new language of art.”

She got more serious about it in her 20s, she said, and found there was something therapeutic about it. 

“It calms my brain down,” she said. “With everything going on in the world, I needed something that I could just sit and focus on, and crochet has been that.”

A member of the crochet group, 38-year-old Katie Young, agrees. 

A collection of colorful varieties of crochet hooks during a gathering of crochet enthusiasts on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. (Photo by Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette)

“It really is just kind of the way I relax and unwind, especially at the end of the day,” Young said. “This is just one more craft that I can pick up and just play around with for a little bit and just get that relaxation time. It’s my me-time.”

So, what are some things the group likes to make? Stuffed animals are a big one, Logan said. Over summer, crocheted bumble bees were popular among the group’s members.

“People learn to make sweaters and scarves and blankets, but I think it’s really fun when you can make a stuffy, and that’s what a lot of people who were coming to group were really interested in making,” Logan said. “There’s something really heartfelt about making something for someone.”

With 22 years of crocheting experience, Mary Logan (left), teaches crochet beginner Julie Brewster during a gathering of the crochet enthusiasts on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. (Photo by Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette)

Crochet enthusiasts share tips during a gathering on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. (Photo by Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette)

Mary Logan checks out a magazine brought by another crocheting enthusiast during a gathering of crochet enthusiasts on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. (Photo by Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette)