Kettering TA's lockdown hobby hooks-in children to crochet craft craze

Children at a Kettering primary school have been hooked by a crafting craze inspired by a teaching assistant’s nimble-fingered stitched cute creations.

Instead of baking banana bread Karen Chester, a TA at Hayfield Cross Church of England School, used lockdown hours to learn a new skill – crochet.

After hours of practice she mastered the technique and showed her finished handicraft design to her class – then Year 3 – which they named Alan the Alpaca.

Now in Year 5, her pupils approached her keen to learn crochet for themselves and the popular pastime has grown in popularity with two school clubs now dedicated to the art.

Mrs Chester said: “The pupils I had in Year 3 are now my Year 5s. They approached me and wanted to learn how to crochet. They have worked so hard and have been so resilient.

"My lockdown past-time started a playtime craze. There’s bits of wool in their drawers and they even asked for equipment for Christmas.

”It’s really good for their fine motor skills and that helps them with things like handwriting.”

The groups’ wool and crochet hook supplies have been boosted by an anonymous donation from Mrs Chester’s home village of Broughton.

After perfecting ‘worry worms’ – fiddle toys for the classroom – the group made Christmas decorations and have now moved on to hair scrunchies, and with crochet trending on catwalks across the globe demand for the club is growing.

Mrs Chester said: “It’s very fashionable. There’s loads of crochet clothing. Boys and girls are welcome at the club. It’s been lovely to see how supportive of each other they have been.”

Iona, 10, said: “We like being together. This helps us when we work in the classroom. It’s weird. When we started we didn’t know how to do anything.”

Founder member nine-year-old Eva said: “I feel proud.”

The weekly group will now be attempting Easter egg covers and hope to one day make their own alpaca toy – the inspiration behind the club.