Thanks to the interest of students at Jefferson-Morgan High School, a new club was created. A group of students were chatting one day about their shared interest in crochet and how much they would love to have a crochet club. After the discussion, these students approached Principal Brandon Robinson about getting a sponsor for the club. In September, the brand-new crochet club was born with Mrs. Angie Mack as the club sponsor.
The club currently has about twenty members of differing skill levels. Those with more crochet experience help those still learning by teaching and sharing skills. Any student at the high school is welcome to join the club.
Angie believes that crochet can provide many benefits to the students. It gives the students an “opportunity to learn skills to take to adulthood” and “helps to alleviate stress.” Learning crochet also ensures that an incredibly old skill continues to live on in younger generations. The group teaches “creativity and interaction” with a skill that the students can “pass down to their children and grandchildren.”
Crochet club members at Jefferson-Morgan are currently learning the process and have a big, heart-warming goal – they want to do service-based projects. Someday they plan to crochet for children with cancer, make blankets for the elderly, and scarves for the poor. Currently, some of their favorite projects have been a Santa head scarf and a Pride banner for one of the teachers.
Crocheting maintains a bridge between the past and the future. While the origins of crochet are murky, it has been a part of our shared history for more than a century. Many of us, people of all ages, still curl up with a blanket our grandmother crocheted. After a decline in popularity, crochet is becoming trendy again. One need look no further than Olympian Tom Daley who sat with his needles, knitting and crocheting, in his downtime. Tom touts the benefits of crochet, saying, “one thing that has kept me sane throughout this whole process is my love for knitting and crochet and all things stitching.”
Serotonin is released with repetitive movement and that improves both your calmness and mood. Crochettherapy.com says that crocheting is “a magical combination of mindfulness, repetition, focus, creativity, hand movement, productivity and…positive social interactions.” Simply put, crocheting can improve happiness long-term.
A recent book by the actress Sutton Foster, named Hooked, also attributed crochet and crafting to her stress management. In a quote from the book Hooked, Sutton also mentions how everything you create is a “time capsule and an heirloom” and that creating a craft is making memories. That’s what the crochet club students at Jefferson-Morgan are doing – making memories with camaraderie and service to others, while learning new skills.
Interested in learning (or re-learning) the skill of crochet? Check with local organizations, events like Sheep & Fiber Festival, and similar businesses. Many places like this have crochet groups or know of some. There are also thousands of videos on YouTube that teach crochet, as well as online classes from groups like SkillShare.
If you have crafting material that you would like to get rid of, the crochet club would love to have it. Contact the high school office at 724-883-2310 and let them know that you have crochet materials available to donate.
