During quarantine when students were all inundated with too much free time, Giselle Sanabria (10) decided to learn to crochet to keep herself occupied with something productive. Sanabria was inspired by her mother who had a lot of experience crocheting, and one day invited her daughter to a hangout with some of her friends where she was taught how to crochet.

“The first time I learned it, I hated it. I was like, I never want to do this again, this is horrible, it’s so hard,” said Sanabria. “But I ended up picking it up during COVID-19 and that’s how it all started.”

After in-person learning resumed, Sanabria transferred from a different school that had a crochet club and noticed that Ayala didn’t have one of its own, so she took it upon herself to start a new club alongside her friend Ruby Villareal (10) who joined her because she was interested in what her friend was doing one day whilst in chemistry class.

“I always wanted to make [a club] and plus, no other people know [how to crotchet],” said Sanabria. “They always think that it’s knitting so I thought, ‘let’s try to make something new.’”

Crochet Club is not just for people who know how to crochet, it is open to anyone who wants to learn or try something new. Club members have varying levels of experience with crochet, so you have the liberty of going at your own pace. Many people joined because crochet has become pretty trendy recently and for a lot of people it serves as a fun pastime that allows them to express their creativity.

“I think it’s fun crocheting. It’s something I’ve been seeing a lot and I think it’s really cute, so I joined,” said Sarayu Medasani (9).

The versatility of crochet draws a lot of people into it because the possibilities are endless with regards to what one can make. It’s a nice way to unwind that also gets creative juices flowing which is an added bonus. Many people find the activity really relaxing and good at getting in the zone so one’s mind is distanced from the stressors of school.

“Once you get your mind into crocheting your fingers will not stop—you just continue doing it,” said Naqiyah Rangwala (10). “You can make cardigans, little plushies and socks and just basically everything and it’s really cute.”

Of course we all have our own methods of dealing with stress, but it is observed that the vast majority of teenagers revert to mindless scrolling or browsing on their phones to get away or escape from real life. One of the best things to keep you away from your phone is definitely picking up a new hobby, and it could be anything—there are so many options to choose from so it’s just a matter of seeing what you like and what clicks with you.

“This is a good project that gets you off your phone because nowadays everyone is always on their phones,” said Sanabria. “I see them every day and it’s not good for our eyes and it’s not good for our brains.”