zNewsletter Sunday

Story and Video: Woodsdale Elementary Crochet Club Keeps Students in Stitches

Joselyn King

WHEELING -- Some students at Woodsdale Elementary are learning to crochet, relax, and maybe keep each other in stitches during the school day.

A Crochet Club has started at the school, and meets at 10 a.m. each Friday for 45 minutes. Each day, the school designates a period during which students may work on improving their academics, or participate in a club and organization, teachers explained.

The Crochet Club is led by teacher Adeline Boggs, and about 20 fifth grade students were seen participating on Friday.

Both boys and girls were among those pulling the yarn and telling yarns as the club met.

Nixon Brieding explained crochet is in his genes.

"My pap has always liked to knit and crochet," he explained. "My brothers started knitting and I started watching and thought, 'That seems relaxing.'"

Nixon started crocheting two years ago, and noted since then he has made hats, necklaces and even started on a blanket.

He added that his pap had the tools to make the hats.

His friend, Silas John, said he was inspired to try crochet by his mentor Jane Baker -- a teacher at Woodsdale Elementary who recently took up crochet.

"It is very relaxing," he said. "Then once you're done with it and you've done it right ... the most relaxing part to me is when you're done, you pull it all back out and it comes undone and you make a slip knot."

Boggs said she has been crocheting for about eight years, and it was her idea to start the club at the school. It has been meeting for only about four weeks.

She noted there are a lot of surprising health benefits to crochet. Research has shown that it helps to relieve stress while improving memory, mental focus, and hand to eye coordination, she noted.

Meanwhile, there are also social benefits, Boggs added. The students spoke and talked freely with one another during the activity, and they are also learning patience.

"For the younger generation, they are used to things being quick," she said. "They are learning that working on a project is something that takes longer and isn't as instantly gratifying. They want to take the time to build out and make something happen.

"It also helps with their mental focus, their self-esteem and their problem solving ability."

Student Riley Edge said she had wanted to learn to crochet, and had attempted to look up methods online.

"I started in the club because I wanted to learn to do other things," she explained.

The students pointed out Emily Robinson as one of the more skilled in the group. She was completing a long purple scarf.

Also working on a scarf was Reese McGowan, who just started crochet four weeks ago when the club started. It was her first project.

"I pick up on things quickly," she said.