March is National Crochet Month, and no one embodies the spirit of the craft quite like Jeff Walker. With over four decades of skill and dedication, Walker is closing in on a Guinness World Record for the largest crochet collection.
“When I go buy yarn, usually it’s pre-buy, and I pick it up in garbage bags," Walker explained. "People say, 'wow, you buy a lot of yarn for your wife.’ And I’m like, ‘Well, not really. It’s for me.’”
His yarn wall, a 10-foot expanse filled with an astonishing 1,500 to 1,700 skeins of yarn. It’s what he uses for his growing crochet collection. He currently has 948 pieces — just shy of the 1,200 required to secure his place in the record books.
Walker first learned to crochet as a child, taught by his mother. However, it wasn’t until his time in the Navy in that he fully embraced the craft. Long maintenance watches provided the perfect opportunity to crochet.
“I started making blankets, which was a great way to pass the time during 12-hour shifts. Then I started making baby blankets for the other Navy guys," Walker recalled. "I had scrap yarn left over, so I made scrap yarn blankets that we’d raffle off.”
He has earned numerous accolades over the years, including four consecutive “Best in Show” awards at the South Florida Fair and two first-place ribbons at the Florida State Fair in the past two years. But his biggest goal yet is the Guinness World Record, a milestone he is steadily working toward.
Today, Walker crochets nearly every day after work, finding peace and relaxation in each stitch.
As National Crochet Month continues, Walker hopes his story serves as an inspiration to others to pick up the craft.
