While the U of M Cake Club may sound delicious, don’t be fooled by its name alone. 

Cake, which stands for Crochet and Knitting Enthusiasts, hosts meetups every Thursday in room 302 of the Tier Building for crochet and knitting enthusiasts alike to socialize, but it is also open to individuals who would prefer to drop in and simply meet new people. 

The space has a welcoming and community-driven atmosphere for those who want to come out and unwind, work on some projects or to spend some time with friends. 

“It’s very casual,” said Brooke Sullivan, vice-president of U of M Cake. “You can just stop by […] You don’t even have to crochet or knit, you can just show up if you want to hang out.”

“If you do any kind of crafts, you’re absolutely welcome. It’s lots of fun,” she said. 

The club, which held its first meeting of the new year on Jan. 25, not only strives to bring campus knitters and crocheters together but to also hold fun events for members, particularly those with fun pun-based names, such as a bowling event they hope to host tentatively called “Pins and Needles.”

Another initiative the club champions is creating blankets for local animal rescue shelters. 

Sullivan said that it is one of the club’s goals to “help out some of the smaller rescues in the city” that may have less support than larger rescues and that it’s “nice” to see some of the adopted animals “go home with a little treat” that they take with them after adoption.   

“It’s nice because sometimes we get to see people start a blanket, and we get to see the progress on that blanket and then it eventually goes to an animal or a shelter in need, which is amazing,” said Sullivan.

She said that one of the highlights of being a part of the club is simply being able to see the progress people make.

Rachel Dupas, president of the club, agreed. 

“It’s amazing to see how we’ve taught someone this skill that they’ll never forget now […] It warms my heart,” she said. “Even though that sounds corny, it’s true.”

Sullivan told the Manitoban that in the prior year, the club saw plenty of attendance, including a lot of first-time U of M Cake-goers. She said that seeing that turnout was “amazing” and is looking forward to seeing how things go for the remainder of the year. 

“I’m very excited to see how it goes this year and I hope we get the opportunity to hang out and teach more people how to do a fun activity,” said Sullivan.

She also wanted to emphasize that the club is free in every sense of the word. 

“It’s low commitment. You can drop in for 30 minutes if you’re busy, you don’t have to come to every single meeting, it’s very casual and it costs you no money.” 

In addition to club participation itself being free, supplies such as knitting needles, crochet hooks and yarn are available for members to use at no cost. 

“Don’t be shy coming to the meetings,” said Dupas. 

“Even if you’re too shy to talk, there’s always some sort of entertaining conversation happening somewhere in the room that you could find somewhere to jump in on. It’s a very welcoming community.”

U of M Cake meets Thursdays from 12 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at 302 Tier Building.