Close-knit community: Carlow crochet group weaves new friendships

IN THE cozy warmth of Moka Coffee every Thursday evening, needles click and wool tumbles as strangers become friends over shared stitches. What started as one woman’s solution to the loneliness of crocheting has blossomed into a community hub for crafty Carlovians.

Noelle Jordan launched Cosy Nest Crochet in January after falling in love with the craft just months earlier.

“I noticed while I was making all these little bits that crochet and knitting are quiet, ‘lonely’ hobbies and I wanted to create a solution to overcoming this,” she said.

The solution has exceeded all expectations. From 7pm to 9pm each Thursday, Moka Coffee, Haymarket, Carlow transforms into a bustling creative space where ages span from ten to over 80, where beginners and experts sit alongside one another and where the only requirement is a willingness to learn or share.

“We’re just really a mishmash of people from so many different walks of life,” said Noelle. “People you’d never think to talk to in the street. People that you wouldn’t think you’d have a common interest with.” 

The group’s diversity reflects Noelle’s deliberate approach to inclusivity. As someone who works for Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Ireland, a national non-profit supporting people with both conditions, she’s acutely aware of accessibility challenges. Her own six-year-old son has hydrocephalus, making her advocacy deeply personal.

“The likes of Liz, one of our members who’s a wheelchair user, really highlights to me the inaccessibility of a lot of places,” said Noelle. “That’s why Moka Coffee is so perfect – it’s literally for everybody.” 

The timing accommodates families, too. Children accompany parents, grandparents bond with grandchildren over shared projects and the atmosphere remains welcoming to all skill levels.

What sets Cosy Nest Crochet apart is its generous spirit. Members create items not just for themselves but for local hospitals, with donations going to Kilkenny and Portlaoise hospitals, and with plans to donate children’s clothes to local shelters. Their latest donation comprised of more than 50 baby hats plus blankets, cardigans and booties, all crafted by volunteer hands.

“Usually every week or so, a lady will pop up to me and have seven hats or maybe two onesies or a blanket,” said Noelle.

The donations serve a dual purpose: giving experienced crafters a meaningful outlet for their productivity while providing beginners with purposeful first projects.

The community aspect extends beyond crafting. Members share patterns, bring along plenty of homemade treats and maintain a ‘community bucket’, where unused wool and tools find new life with different crafters. The group welcomes all fibre arts, including knitting, cross-stitch and embroidery, making it truly inclusive.

Noelle’s initiative addresses a broader social need. Having given up drinking two years ago, she experienced firsthand how limited socialising options can be in Ireland. “When I gave up drinking, it was kind of like, oh my God, what do I do now? How do you meet and talk to people, especially when you’re in your 20s?” 

The crochet group offers an alternative to pub culture, creating space for meaningful connection without alcohol. It’s particularly valuable for older adults who may lack workplace social opportunities and for anyone seeking community in an increasingly isolated world.

“Even though knitting and crocheting are solo hobbies, they don’t have to be lonely ones,” said Noelle, citing what she says is the group’s unofficial motto.

The casual, drop-in nature removes barriers to participation. “If you want to come in at half-seven, there are no rules essentially,” said Noelle. “Drop in, drop out. And if you feel like it’s not really your vibe that evening, absolutely no stress.” 

The group continues to expand, with newcomers regularly joining the Thursday evening sessions. Some, like a teenager who wanted to make a doll blanket for his niece, return for help with their project. Others pop in once to learn a skill and contribute a finished piece to the donation pile.

Richard Morrell, Moka’s owner, provides the space free of charge and endures some good-natured pressure from the group to try his hand at crafting. While he hasn’t picked up needles yet, he supports the community by keeping the coffee and tea flowing and the atmosphere welcoming. “It really is a hidden, cosy gem – in the winter he has the fire lighting for us. It’s just fab,” said Noelle.

The success of Cosy Nest Crochet reflects a hunger for authentic community connection in modern Ireland. As Noelle puts it: “Long gone, I think, are the days of needing to drink while in the pub. We don’t need that.” 

Instead, what people need, and are finding in this coffee house crafting group, is a place to create, connect and contribute to something larger than themselves, one stitch at a time.

Cosy Nest Crochet meets every Thursday from 7pm to 9pm at Moka Coffee Shop, Haymarket, Carlow. All skill levels and ages welcome. No experience necessary.