Every Friday during lunch, students from every grade level gather in social studies teacher Michelle Cordaro’s room and spend 45 minutes crafting, knitting, and crocheting, as members of the aptly-named Handy Craft Club. The club was founded as an interest group in May of 2024 by current juniors Lela Gurvich-Andrews and Hazel Berkley, under the direction of Cordaro.

Although Haldane High School already has an Art Club, Gurvich-Andrews and Berkley felt that they wanted a more specific club focused on knitting and crochet. In a joint interview, Gurvich-Andrews said, “We wanted to focus on a different, more specific craft that could be made accessible to all. After learning to knit and crochet ourselves, we realized how relaxing, fun, and accomplished it made one feel. We wanted to share that feeling.”

At the beginning of the year, weekly meetings cover the basics of knitting and crochet, and once each member has the skills to begin their own project, the meetings consist of working on individual creations, while Gur- vich-Andrews and Berkley answer questions and help out.

Sophomore Alice Stevenson, who joined the club this year, has used the meetings to learn how to crochet, but hopes to learn more about knitting in the future. Stevenson said her favorite part of Handy Craft Club is “how nice and supportive everyone is to each other, whether you’re a beginner or a pro.”

Each year, Handy Craft Club also participates in the Knit-a-Thon, which begins with a food drive and culminates in an hour-long gathering in local yarn store Endless Skein, where the club, alongside other members of the community, knit and crochet, accompanied by snacks and drinks. This year, the Knit-a-Thon took place on April 11, and Handy Craft Club collected four boxes of canned food to deliver to Endless Skein, which was then donated to the Philipstown Food Pantry.

Gurvich-Andrews, and Berkley have a multitude of things they love about Handy Craft Club, but said the most rewarding part is being able to see the hard work everyone puts into their creations. Berkley said, “People who have never once picked up a hook or needle have crafted everything from scarves and hats to mini dinosaurs and teddy bears. Here at Handy Craft Club, the sky is the limit to what you can create.”