Crocheting before crocheting was cool

Once upon a time, I was a leper. The yarn sticking out of my purse made me different from everyone else. My constant crocheting made me look 80 years old by the time I was 12. I learned the glorious craft when I was 6 -- I can't remember a time where crochet didn't play a big part in my life.

But there's something new about crocheting now, something that has changed the world (or at least mine) as we all know it: More and more people are learning how to do it. Both crochet and knitting have become popular hobbies, and now I'm not the only one at school with a big ball of yarn of some sort sticking out of my bag. I'm not the only one pulling out yarn to work with after I finish my lunch or after I finish a test; people all around me are busy knitting one, purling two and counting their stitches.

Fiber arts, as crochet and knitting are called, are sweeping the country. Colleges are teaching them as courses, young children are eagerly learning, and veteran yarn lovers like me are finding more and more ways to keep the hobby a fun challenge.

I've done everything from blankets to sweaters, socks to hats, and I can't choose my favorite thing to make. I cherish yarn, and I'll admit I hoard it -- I have nine boxes, yes, nine boxes, sitting in my basement. Yarn and the fiber arts are becoming my addictions.

The good news, though, is that I'm not alone; I'm sure there's a place for people like me, and if there isn't, they should build one. Just as long as it's nowhere near a store that sells yarn.

Emily Hendricks is a senior at Central High School.