From grandmothers to recent graduates, the art of crocheting has been a persistent and steady trend over the last few years. For some, knitwear is a hobby and for others, it’s turned into an artisanal craft.
Aidan Wieler, a recent graduate from UMass Amherst, started crocheting three years ago after getting a concussion from falling on ice. “You can’t look at screens after a concussion so I started crocheting,” Wieler said. “It’s a way I can be productive while being lazy.”
After recovering from his concussion, Wieler didn’t pick up his crochet hooks again for another year, only returning to his hobby to make Christmas gifts for his family. While brainstorming ways to make money without applying for jobs, Wieler decided to continue crocheting hats and began selling them to other UMass students and friends.
In February of 2023, Wieler coined the name “Smack Hats” for his unauthorized business. Each hat takes him between 2-3 hours to complete and is priced between $25-$30. Wieler offers an array of color combinations and designs for his pieces and estimates he’s made about 130 hats in the last year and a half. Since graduating, Wieler has made merchandise for “Smack Hats” and designed a website to promote the products.
“Part of my inspiration for Smack Hats was that I was a merch guy for surf club so I got familiar with merch design,” Wieler said regarding his new merchandise. These products are now available to purchase by contacting Wieler himself through email or Instagram DM, both of which are listed on the Smack Hats website.
On the “About” page of the new site, Wieler writes, “My branding may seem kinda serious on this website but honestly I’m just a guy who likes to crochet and make graphic art to put on clothes and stickers.”
Due to popular demand, Wieler has expanded his craft to include the making of boleros–which he refers to as “sleeves”, koozies and mug sweaters, and has even made crocheted flowers to decorate one’s tote bag.
Wieler graduated from UMass Amherst this past spring and moved to the outer suburbs of Boston for a job in structural engineering. In an interview with Wieler, he said, “Now that I have a real job, [Smack Hats] is less about needing the money and more just about my love for crocheting.”