Swiftie Recreates Taylor Swift’s Colorful Striped Crochet Minidress for $11 in Just 12 Hours: ‘Crafting Era’ (Exclusive)

When Kayla Benedetti woke up on Monday, June 24, and saw photos of Taylor Swift wearing a colorful striped crochet minidress all over her social media, her jaw dropped.

Benedetti, a massive Swift fan living in Milford, Connecticut, started crocheting five years ago. She is entirely self-taught, learning all the basic stitches—slip knot, chain stitch, and granny cluster—from online videos.
Her crochet journey began with a granny square cardigan, but her favorite creation to date is a Persian tiles blanket designed by Janie Crow.

“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, my worlds are colliding,'” the elementary school art teacher tells PEOPLE exclusively, remembering her excitement upon seeing Swift’s VRG GRL outfit, complete with bell sleeves.

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Shortly after, the 27-year-old posted a TikTok video asking if other Swifties planned to recreate the look. Initially uncertain if she’d make it herself, the overwhelming response convinced her otherwise.
“People were like, ‘Nope, you’ve got to make it, you’ve got to make it,'” Benedetti says. “So, it evolved into this whole series. I did a crochet-along on TikTok, sharing each step of the process.”
For the dress, Benedetti bought four skeins of yarn and used a size four hook, which she already owned. She started crocheting on Tuesday at 7:30 a.m., working through most of the day while watching Swift’s Era’s Tour movie. By Wednesday at noon, she had completed the dress.
In total, it took her 12 hours to create at a cost of only $11.
“I know a lot of people are looking for patterns, but once you get the hang of crochet, it’s such a basic stitch that you can figure it out,” she explains. “It didn’t take me very long. I also chose not to do the sleeves because it’s summer and hot here, but I know I can add them later if I want.”