Needle in hand, junior Leah Mershon gracefully loops her yarn around the hook and pulls it through on the first stitch. She repeats the process, the rhythmic sound of the hook clicking, until the yarn slowly starts to take shape into a small pink heart.

Mershon, who is the president of the Crochet Club, said she learned to crochet during the pandemic to help relieve stress.

“For me, it’s just a really relaxing thing,” Mershon said. “It’s really nice to watch a show or a movie in the background and be able to do something with my hands.”

Mershon said she started the club because she wanted to share her creativity with others. Additionally, she said the club provides a comfortable place for all members, but no experience is needed to join.

“The environment is very welcoming, and it is a lot of fun to connect with people you normally would not and share an interest in the same thing,” Mershon said. “You do not need any experience or materials and can come whenever to learn.”

Sophomore Maya Dakua, who joined the club this year and attends meetings regularly, said the club is a serene place to hang out and learn a new skill.

“It’s peaceful here,” Dakua said. “Sometimes they have new projects, and I can learn something new.”

Vice President and Media Director Coral Johnson, who joined the club to share her interest with the student body, said the club recently made over 250 hearts and gave them away to students and staff.

“On Valentine’s Day, we walked around the school and handed it out to everyone we saw,” Johnson said.

As Media Director, Johnson said she contributes to the club’s Instagram account, which often receives thousands of views per post. Johnson also said she uses social media platforms including Pinterest and Instagram for inspiration and said she studies books on stitching to boost her creativity.

Johnson said she crochets things that she’ll wear or use frequently including hats, scarves, bags, sweaters and even dog collars.

“I recently made this tank top with a bunch of lace work on the bottom, and that was hard for me because I’d never done lace before,” Johnson said. “I had to be willing to unravel my project multiple times and redo it until it was right.”

Crochet is also popular among adults. Assistant Principal Secretary Vallen Queen, who started crocheting because of her experience with sewing, said she was aware of crochet’s popularity when she was growing up.

“During Biden’s inauguration, I saw Kamala Harris’s stepdaughter wearing crochet sweaters,” Queen said. “I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh. Those are just like what we used to wear back in the day.’ And ever since then, I’ve seen a lot recently.”

Queen said she crochets toys and accessories, including hats for her great nieces and nephews.

“I have four great nieces and nephews, and I do a lot of stuff for them,” Queen said. “I’m doing a bear right now. I just did a bunch of hats.”

Johnson agrees with Queen in that crochet has become popular as people increasingly want to make or wear the craft. Johnson also said, for those who crochet, she encourages them to take the time to enjoy the experience instead of focusing only on the end result.

“It’s important to slow down and actually enjoy the process instead of rushing to create the product,” Johnson said. “Crochet isn’t about that. It’s a very slow art form, and only focusing on the finished product is not going to get you anywhere.”