\u201cI have classes with a maximum of 10 students who participate,\u201d Longoria, 22, said. \u201cI\u2019ve taught Girl Scout troops and birthday parties. … I\u2019ve taught over 60 students. … I have taught young boys how to crochet. It\u2019s not only a girl hobby; it\u2019s for anybody and everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Stephanie](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HRNWREWNDNFDRJMTDPIMJHRDVA.JPG\")
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Stephanie Longoria stand with her grandmother, Ramona Ortiz, the one who first taught her the craft of crochet when she was 8 years old. Longoria now has a crochet business in Geneva called Stitches by Stephanie. (Photo provided by Stephanie Longoria )<\/p>\n
And as a person with ADHD, Longoria said crochet helps slow down her mind so she can focus on one thing at a time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe I\u2019m naturally gifted, along with ADHD, which gives me a vision of how to create designs and patterns, different animals and creations,\u201d Longoria said. <\/p>\n
Her business started six years ago in 2020 on Instagram during the COVID-19 pandemic while she was still attending York High School<\/a> in Elmhurst<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cI was going to local farmer markets and advertising on Instagram,\u201d Longoria said.<\/p>\n \u201cLast year, we were selected for the Batavia<\/a> Boardwalk Shops,\u201d Longoria said. \u201cWe became a hit on the Boardwalk Shops from May to December. And that really gave me an insight of what retail space looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n Batavia MainStreet operates the Batavia Boardwalk Shops, a business incubator program that supports small retailers and entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n Kayla Galles, 10, of St. Charles, wears a crocheted sweater she made after learning the craft from Stephanie Longoria at her shop, Stitches by Stephanie. (Photo provided by Kristi Galles)<\/p>\n Longoria also makes what she calls plushies \u2013 crocheted animals like chickens and squids \u2013 that she sells at her shop.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery plushie is handmade and comes with its own adoption certificate, so you\u2019re taking home a little animal with its own personality,\u201d Longoria said.<\/p>\n One of her students, Kayla Galles, 10, of St. Charles<\/a>, became a student after seeing her stall at the Batavia Boardwalk. What made her want to learn crochet?<\/p>\n \u201cJust seeing the cool things you can make,\u201d Kayla said. \u201cWith all of my projects and animals, I get better and better each time.\u201d<\/p>\n Kayla has made plushies, a sweater and is currently working on a headphone cover.<\/p>\n Her mother, Kristi Galles, doesn\u2019t crochet, but supports her daughter\u2019s enthusiasm.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a unique skill. I thought it was so cool. It\u2019s different. Not every kid knows how to do it. … She absolutely loves it,\u201d ,\u201d Galles said, adding her younger daughter Kelsey, 7, has also taken two classes so far.<\/p>\n The trouble with crochet \u2013 if you can call it trouble \u2013 is enthusiasts start collecting yarn.<\/p>\n Kayla \u201chas hundreds of balls of yarn,\u201d Galles said. <\/p>\n Longoria appears to be on the cutting edge of a national resurgence of the yarn craft of crocheting, according to a 2024 survey by the Craft Industry Alliance<\/a>. The Craft Yarn Council<\/a> reports that 50 million people knit, crochet and craft with yarn. The Crochet Guild of America<\/a> designated Sept. 12 as International Crochet Day and March as crochet month.<\/p>\n![\"Kayla](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GL3ISG43ZZGDZDLMRTDE2OUQME.jpg\")
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