Come for the knitting but stay for the fun: UAA’s Chronicles of Yarnia encourages everyone to join the club

What's the second best thing since sliced bread? Knitted socks. Turns out that knitted socks predate sliced bread, and are so great that archaeologists uncovered a pair dating back to Egypt somewhere between 500-1200 A.D. Those are some old knitted socks - but we digress. In the 21st century, in modern-day Alaska, at the University of Alaska Anchorage, students each semester gather with knitting needles and yarn in hand to purl, stitch and hook during the three hours the student club Chronicles of Yarnia Club (CYC) meets.

The club, created in 2014, meets each Monday in the Student Union Den and invites all levels of knitters and crocheters from novices to pro. Participants work on their various projects, from knitting more popular items like hats and scarves, to the more difficult and obscure, like octopi and toys.

"Toys are definitely my ultimate favorite thing to do," said Molly Johnson, CYC president,  a senior majoring in German and minoring in Alaska Native Studies. Johnson's been knitting - a term she uses for both knitting and crocheting - since she was about eight years old. She noticed her aunt busily knitting while talking to family at their annual Thanksgiving gathering and thought, 'I want to do that.' Her aunt obliged her niece's interest and Johnson said she's been "hooked" ever since. "My specialty is alpacas and octopi - it's really amazing the craft and creatability you can have to make something."

Currently this semester, CYC, or as she refers to it, "Yarnia," has about 15-18 regulars who show up each week. Johnson said she's always well-stocked with a large supply of extra knitting needles to lend to new members or to those who haven't taken the plunge and purchased their own. Additionally, she said that CYC is in no shortage of yarn to share, and encourages anyone who's ever wanted to venture into yarn crafts to stop by a meeting - they are always looking to add new members.

A stitch in time...

Although CYC is a pretty laid back club and offers members a time to catch up with friends, take their minds of coursework and exercise a little creativity, the club does regularly hold Yarn Sales and each member works diligently to provide items for purchase. Sales are held in the upstairs of the Student Union every other Monday, at least this semester - that's subject to change, according to Johnson. And she feels the Yarn Sales are a win-win for both the CYC members who make a little money and the student passersby who can nab some fun and "funky" knitwear for a reasonable price.

"We're trying to cater to UAA students," Johnson said, who knows that she and CYC members could sell their knitted hats, scarves and cowls for much more at local high-end craft fairs, but that they enjoy seeing their creations traveling around campus on someone's head or stylishly draped over a puffy winter coat to fight off the cold. "A lot of times students are buying our items for friends, family or for themselves. For me, it's more about making the community happy here. It's also not just university students and staff, it's also other community members that come in and purchase."

Johnson said that at this time, CYC only produces items for their Yarn Sales in the SU, but that maybe someday they could take it to the next level and have a booth at a craft fair - maybe even the big UAA holiday one held each December.

"There's only so much each of us can make in a week or a day," said Johnson laughing.

Come for the knitting, stay for the friends

"You're just more connected - if you just came to school for school for however many years you're here - and you didn't get to know people, that would be hard," said Johnson. "That's what the club does. It brings people together who wouldn't originally have come together."

As a timid freshman, Johnson said she learned about CYC at Campus Kick-Off. There was a booth advertising the club and she couldn't have been happier to find the niche group. For the last four years, the "regulars" have become Johnson's friends and they hang out with each other outside of club meeting times and off campus.

The club regularly holds movie nights off campus at people's houses or apartments, and is just another opportunity for members to connect after a busy week and talk about everything from school to the newest trends in the yarn arts.

"Sometimes when you knit and crochet, you're just kind of in your own bubble, but when you come to these meetings, you extend that bubble," said Johnson of encouraging new members to join. "We encourage people to do more - even if it's not about knitting or crocheting."

Johnson said even though CYC is knitting and yarned theme, it really is much more than just a group of students coming together each week to knit or crochet; it's more of a place for people to come, relax, and to stop and take a moment to make connections with other UAA students.

"We're a welcoming place," Johnson said.

Written by Catalina Myers, UAA Office of University Advancement