For the past few months, drama and speech teacher Kayla Konkle has been teaching students a fun and quick new hobby: crochet. 

Having been in the hobby for 5 years, Konkle says that “with crochet, you can legit make anything.” Though her grandmother taught her knitting, there’s only so much you can do- so she sat down, opened Youtube, and learnt how to crochet.

Konkle started the club to “inspire people to be creative.”

“I think crochet can be incredibly relaxing and a great way to relieve stress,” she said. “Also you can make anything as long as you are willing to put in the time to learn.I wanted to share that love with my students.” 

The club has been running for two years; but she says this year’s group had the strongest turnout.

Though the art of the hook and yarn is simple enough when you get used to it, it’s certainly something that takes time to get used to.

“I thought I knew what I was doing until I got here,” said junior Abby Wojtaszek, who has been a part of the Crochet Club since it’s founding. Other students back her up on the claim; Freshman Spell Moore comments that it’s “frustrating, but not difficult” and that you have to be patient. 

Senior Katie Zaragoza, another experienced member who’s made plenty of amigurumi for herself and her friends, says that it’s “Easy… once you get the hang of it. There’s a learning curve.”

Amigurumi, a Japanese term for crocheting small animals, is what Konkle specializes in. This year, students have made crocheted bees as a team, but have branched out into other crafts. Member’s projects include a bird, several bees, and adorable Winny the Pooh figures. Konkle herself recently finished work on a massive, fancy spider that she’s planning to sell. 

Although crocheting is a hobby that takes patience before the product, Konkle advises not to give up.

“Be patient with yourself,” she said. “It takes time to get good at it. But it’s like riding a bike, once you get it, you got it.” 

Don’t worry if you missed the events this year; it’s sure to make a comeback in the 21-22 school year!