Kerala Women Turn Pandemic Crochet Hobby Into Collective

A chance meeting at a cultural festival turned into a lifeline for dozens of women who discovered crochet during the pandemic.

Sanjana Shafik from Kochi and Aysha S Kabeer from Kollam met at Olam, an annual cultural festival in Thiruvananthapuram. Both were passionate about crochet and knew many women who had gotten "hooked" on the craft during lockdown. They created a WhatsApp group called Crochet Friends, which quickly grew to 50-60 members.

But the founders wanted more than just a chat group. They envisioned a community where women could support each other professionally, not just swap patterns and tips.

"The concept was that if I get an order and I cannot complete it, I pass it on to another member in the group," explains Sanjana, who works as a marketing manager. When they floated the idea to Crochet Friends, 35 women immediately signed up.

The Starlings was born with this simple but powerful mission: share the work, share the success. Today, the collective has 25 active members spanning Kerala and reaching into West Asia. Each woman maintains her independence while knowing she has backup when orders pile up or life gets busy.

The Ripple Effect

The Starlings represents something bigger than a craft cooperative. During a time when many women lost jobs or income during the pandemic, crochet became both therapy and opportunity. The collective model means no one has to turn down work because they're overwhelmed, and no one sits idle when orders are slow.

For members, it's transformed a solitary hobby into a sustainable income stream and genuine community. Women who might have crocheted alone in their homes now belong to a network that values their skills and supports their success.

The model is beautifully simple: individual talent multiplied by collective strength equals opportunity for all.