When ninth-grader Katie Perry launched her school’s crochet club last fall, her goal was simple: to enjoy a hobby with friends.

“I’m self-taught and thought I could teach other people to crochet then we could give what we make to people who don’t have as much; maybe they’d like something handmade,” she said. “I thought maybe it would be for the homeless, people in hospitals or even for animal shelters.”

As the group meets every week for an hour after school in Mountain Creek Middle School’s cafeteria, the club has evolved into something bigger.

“It’s built into a community where people can come and talk about things while we crochet,” Katie said. “Crocheting has skyrocketed in popularity recently as people have gotten back in the hobby. The newer generation picked it up, probably partly because of COVID, and it’s way more popular nowadays.”

Experts agree there has been a resurgence in various household activities like baking, knitting, cross-stitch, sewing and journaling, many of which gained traction during the pandemic. Additionally, teenagers’ growing fondness for thrifting and trends like crochet fashion—popularized by celebrities such as Taylor Swift—has helped crocheting trend on social media. As a result, social media platforms are exposing more people to these hobbies, encouraging others to try them.

A recent six-week survey by the National Institutes of Health found “crochet offers positive benefits for personal wellbeing with many respondents actively using crochet to manage mental health conditions and life events.”

The finding further supports what Katie has experienced firsthand — it’s an accessible and affordable skill, where they can create unique, sustainable
handmade items.

Katie also values the sense of community the club fosters, where members can share ideas and patterns while creating together, all while learning a life skill. She and her classmates appreciate that crochet is relaxing and stress relieving, as well as a bonding activity.

“It gets my mind off things. It’s nice to focus on something else; I don’t have to worry if I mess up as I know I can fix it,” she said.

For ninth-grader Aaron Vatcher, crocheting is calming.

“It’s relaxing and while you’re crocheting, everything else slips out of your mind,” he said.

It was ninth-grader Ace Silver’s first time crocheting.

“I’m honestly interested to meet new people because I struggle with social anxiety,” he said. “I start having panic attacks, so this helps. It’s low key, low stress and I can meet people slowly. I also like to create things. I sew; I’ve made beanies and mittens before and I’ve made blankets.”

Ace also appreciates the community service aspect of the club. He has made and donated items like sweaters, blankets and quilts to Primary Children’s Hospital.

Katie said this is a way middle schoolers can engage in community service.

“Sometimes, it’s hard to do service when we can’t drive yet, but we can make things that are helpful or can cheer someone up,” she said.

Katie was crocheting little mushrooms — “they’re cute and fun” — but hoped to finish a blanket before the end of the school year to donate.

“I realize I have a lot, and other people don’t have as much as me.  I’m just very fortunate to have what I have, and I don’t think that it’s necessarily fair that I have all this, and a lot of people don’t,” she said.

In the seven years that Katie has been crocheting, she has made bags, flowers, cat toys and animals — “Did you know crocheted animals have their own word? It’s amigurumi; isn’t that cool?” — for friends and family. She hopes to create a life-sized dragon one day.

Others have also shared their creations, including two crocheted octopi, which were made by the school’s secretary.

Allyson Swett, the school hall monitor, also joins the group and crochets hot pads for wedding gifts. Her mother taught her how to crochet.

“I was impressed kids want to crochet and have a club,” she said. “It’s nice that the kids get to see me in a different light because I am the mean, strict person during the day. Now they can see me as a real person after school as someone who chooses to be at middle school and has an empathic shoulder to cry on.”

Swett believes the club provides therapeutic benefits. 

“I’ve noticed that when the kids are together, it’s a release for them. It’s almost like ‘textile therapy,’” she said.

Katie agrees: “Sometimes, kids our age aren’t the nicest of people and there’s overwhelming gossip, so this is just a chance to forget it all and chill.”

The crochet club benefitted when Katie received a yarn donation from
Premier Yarns.

“I emailed them, told them about what I want to do with my club, and they said, ‘We’ll send you a box of yarn if you pay for shipping.’ Then, my mom bought a bunch of hooks for everyone to share,” she said. “A lot of people show up and don’t know how to crochet, so I’m teaching them.”

Katie prefers crocheting to other crafts.

“I love cross stitch and embroidery, but those take a lot of effort to get ready and require more materials so there’s more cost related to them,” she said. “I’m learning to knit right now, but that’s a lot more complicated than crocheting.”

Aaron took up crocheting when he
was bored.

“I searched it up on YouTube. The easy part is doing a project that I’ve started, the hardest part is starting a project because it’s like art, where I can get a block and I don’t really know what to make, or which project to do, or maybe I don’t have the motivation to start something. But it’s fun once I’m making them. I like being able to express my interest and myself in what I create,” he said, adding that he is crocheting a big cat for his room as well as a scarf to donate.

He joined the club after Katie approached him.

“I saw him crocheting in the middle of our TA period, which was funny, because I wanted to crochet, too. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m going to recruit that kid,’” she said.  “That’s really the best part of all this. It’s having friends to share hobbies with and being able to help the less
fortunate.”  λ