One stitch at a time WNY students learn to crochet for cancer patients

All of the students in Carmen Reyes’ special education homeroom class at West New York’s Public School No. 1 were excited last year when Reyes suggested that they might learn how to crochet.

“I could want to teach everyone how to do something,” said Reyes. “But without the children wanting to do it and sticking with it, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Now, these children are learning to crochet hats to donate to children with cancer. As each hat is completed, it is placed on the Christmas tree that is still standing in the front hallway in the school.

“We want to teach them that instead of watching TV, if they do something constructive people would appreciate it more,” said Principal Lawrence Riccardi.

The idea stemmed from a Memorial High School toy and gift drive for the cancer patients at Colombian Presbyterian Hospital in New York.

“As a continuation to [what the high school is doing], we decided to make the hats for the kids,” said Reyes.

The hats might be especially helpful to those patients who suffer hair loss.

Practice makes perfect

“It was hard in the beginning,” said student Chayanne Garcia, holding up a red triangle. “This came out as a triangle. It was supposed to be a scarf.”

Reyes explained that the students began practicing their stitches by making scarves before moving on to the hats.

“Double crocheting was difficult,” said student Michelle Ortiz as she demonstrated how to perform a double stitch. A double stitch uses two pieces of yarn rather than just one.

“Beginning the hat was the hardest,” said student Andrea Zarate, explaining that the stitch patterns changed when beginning the hat.

However, now some of the students are already working on their second or third hat or stitching a trim onto the hat they have already made.

“It’s not easy. But [Garcia] got it like that,” said Reyes, snapping her fingers, talking about the trim Garcia was adding to his hat. The trim puts little triangle stitches around the brim of the hats.

Parent participation

“We had a little trouble with the lefties,” said Riccardi. “We had to have some of the parents come in and teach our left-handers.”

Michelle Ortiz’s mother was able to teach one of the students who is left-handed how to crochet. However, one of the left-handed students was able to learn how to crochet with his right hand. “I am left-handed too,” said Garcia. “But I learned to do it with my right hand just by looking at the teacher.”

Ortiz’s and Andrea Zarate’s mothers have also volunteered to continue the students’ lessons at their homes.

The faculty and staff have also contributed to the project. The faculty donated the money to buy the crocheting needles and the yarn used to make the hats.

“So many teachers automatically donated,” said Reyes.

Circle of love

In addition, more than 30 eighth-grade students have volunteered to stay after school to learn how to crochet. Each of these students will be paired with one of the special education students that has already learned how to crochet.

“We are calling it the circle of love,” said Reyes, explaining that the term refers to the shape of the hat. “[The students’ circle] will be growing like the circle of the hat.”

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