LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. – Want a low-maintenance hobby to practice once a week at lunch? Crochet Club aims to let crafty students explore or even learn crochet skills, whether they are complete beginners, advanced creators or fans of other fiber-craft mediums such as knitting. The club welcomes all to share this love for the craft with other students in calm weekly meetings every Tuesday in the Media Center.

Crochet Club was started and hosted by Los Alamitos High School math teacher Mrs. Gallagher, who hopes to spread her adoration for crochet by offering guidance, supplies and printed patterns for students to try out. Here, she aims to grow an atmosphere that fosters creativity and community within the school while also encouraging students to try out something new and different.   

“I want people to share their creative side with other like-minded people,” Mrs. Gallagher said.

During meetings, students will have the opportunity to work on and talk about their projects together, including amigurumi (stuffed animals), clothes and anything else they can think of by using the art of crochet. With free materials offered at club meetings, there is no need to worry about coming in with nothing; students are welcome to learn or craft together at any time, no matter their materials or skill level. 

“I love being in Crochet Club because it gives me the opportunity to learn a new skill in a fun environment with my friends. Online tutorials are confusing compared to real-life teaching. Learning to make new cute things is really handy for myself and making things for my friends,” said Cat Russell, LAHS junior.

Despite the craft’s recent rise in popularity, many still don’t know what crochet is or confuse it for its popular counterpart, knitting. Crochet consists of making fabric out of yarn through weaving loops with a hook in a pattern. With the way that the fabric is created in crochet, almost any form can be created, including 3D objects. This is presented in a very popular form of Japanese crochet called amigurumi, in which people make stuffed animals. 

Not only are 3D objects represented but so are the use of flat fabric-making, which comes in tandem with crochet’s large notoriety in fashion as of late. Many people love to crochet clothes using the versatility of stitches to create everything from mesh-like patterns to tighter items like sweaters.

This versatile art provides freedom of expression differently than others clubs on campus. While there are many different clubs focused on the arts, Crochet Club currently hosts LAHS’s only events focused on fiber-craft hobbies.

Try out Crochet Club in the Media Center on Tuesdays at lunch and explore a possible adoration for this highly versatile and crafty hobby.