From Session Road yarn to Guinness, Baguio artist crochets her way into world record

FULL COLOR. Baguio artist Adelaida Guia poses at the center of 'Wishing Star,' the giant crocheted mandala she presented during her Guinness World Records bid in September 2025. Guinness later recognized her as the title holder for the largest crochet mandala, with the verified record measuring 28.03 square meters in Itogon, Benguet, on January 22, 2026. Mia Magdalena Fokno/Rappler Adelaida Guia, the woman behind Baguio’s giant crocheted mandalas, crosses from Baguio’s streets and community spaces into the Guinness record books Adelaida 'Adel' Guia, a crochet artist from Baguio City, Philippines, has set a Guinness World Record for the largest crochet mandala, measuring 28.03 square meters. The record was officially recognized on January 22, 2026, after a thorough verification process involving independent assessors and community support. Guia's achievement highlights her long-standing connection to crochet and the vibrant creative culture of Baguio, which has been part of UNESCO's Creative Cities Network since 2017. This is AI-generated. Read the article for full context. Report any errors. BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – What began as an enormous splash of yarn in Baguio’s creative spaces is now officially a world record. Baguio-based crochet artist Adelaida “Adel” Guia has been recognized by Guinness World Records for creating the largest crochet mandala, measuring 28.03 square meters. Guinness lists Guia as the record holder and says the feat was achieved in Itogon, Benguet, on January 22, 2026. The confirmation ended a long journey for an artist whose giant, colorful mandalas had already become familiar sights in Baguio long before the record became official. Guia broke the news herself with considerably fewer words. “Whaaaaaaaa! Official Guinness World Record,” she posted after receiving the confirmation email. The message from Guinness informed her that her application had been successful and that she was now the title holder. Its website now identifies her as the record holder and gives the final measurement as 28.03 square meters, or 301 square feet and 102 square inches. An official witness statement form used in the verification process is seen in the foreground of ‘Wishing Star,’ Adelaida Guia’s handcrafted crocheted mandala. All photos by Mia Magdalena Fokno/Rappler Guinness also says Guia began the project in July 2024, inspired by a lifelong connection to crochet passed down by her mother. The recognition closes a story Mountain Beacon first followed while it was still very much an attempt. In September 2025, Guia presented one of her massive handmade pieces at SM City Baguio as part of her bid for the Guinness title. The mandala was laid out for independent inspection and measurement, with witnesses checking its design, materials, craftsmanship, and dimensions before documentation was submitted for review. At the time, the outcome was still uncertain. The record eventually recognized by Guinness was measured and verified on January 22 this year in Itogon, where the final piece covered 28.03 square meters. Civil engineers Thadeus Jericho “TJ” Garcia and Aldrin Balangin were among the assessors who helped establish the measurements, while Genevieve Balance-Kupang and Constance Dulay Florentin also provided professional assessment of the work. Behind the technical requirements, however, was something much more familiar to people who had watched Guia work over the years: yarn, patience, and an artist willing to keep making the circle bigger. Civil engineers take precise measurements of Adelaida Guia’s crocheted mandala in September 2025 using electronic surveying equipment as part of the documentation for her Guinness World Records bid. Guia had spent years crocheting intricate mandalas and displaying her work in Baguio, including during the pedestrianization of Session Road, where artists, buskers, craftsmen, and small entrepreneurs regularly turn the city’s main street into an open creative space. Her mandalas were difficult to miss. They spread across floors and public spaces in concentric circles, stars, and bands of color, forcing viewers to step back to take in the whole work. What had once been a familiar part of Baguio’s street-level creative scene had grown into something large enough to be measured against the world. UP Baguio’s Social Innovation Laboratory and Business Inclusion Technology Business Incubator, or SILBI-TBI, which supported Guia as one of its incubatees, announced the recognition on September 17. The program described the achievement not only as Guia’s personal milestone, but as the product of a wider network that included her family, the ABIAKAK team, fellow artists, engineers, creative workers, businesses, and local government partners. Independent witnesses and assessors pose after the September 2025 measurement of Adelaida Guia’s crocheted mandala for her Guinness World Records bid. From left, Genevieve Balance-Kupang, Constance Dulay Florentin, and civil engineers Aldrin Balangin and Thadeus Jericho “TJ” Garcia. Among those SILBI-TBI acknowledged were supporters from Baguio and Lucban, Quezon, as well as Manna Wellness, Victory Liner, Mt. Camisong Forest Park and Events, and the Baguio City government. That community dimension fits comfortably into the city where Guia’s work took shape. Baguio has been part of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network since 2017 under Crafts and Folk Art, a designation that recognizes a creative sector built around practices including weaving, woodcarving, silver craft, and other forms of making. Crochet may be a different medium, but Guia’s work has become part of that contemporary landscape, where inherited skills, experimentation, livelihood, and public art often overlap. And this time, one of those handmade works has crossed from Baguio’s streets and community spaces into the Guinness record books. A year ago, the story was still written with one crucial qualification: if validated, Guia could become a world record holder. Now there is no “if.” Adelaida Guia, the woman behind Baguio’s giant mandalas, is officially a Guinness World Records title holder. – Rappler.com How does this make you feel? Loading