The teacher stops talking, and students begin to chat, text and check Facebook. A few do the work they are assigned. One pulls out a hook, yarn and a half-finished project; junior Katie Cuneo is crocheting in class.

“It may sound bad, but I do frequently crochet at school,” Cuneo said. “However, I do wait until we have free time.”

Cuneo crochets hats and amigurumi, which are small, crocheted Japanese animals and toys. She gives the amigurumi to her friends and family, and she sells the hats for $10 to $15 at craft fairs. Cuneo custom-makes many of these hats to look like animals, such as the rabbit hat she made for her friend Megan Bammann.

“I thought it was pretty awesome,” Bammann said. “She’s very good, and she keeps trying to advance.”

Cuneo was inspired to start crocheting the summer before her sophomore year when she saw amigurumi online. She spent a week with her grandma that summer, and her grandma taught her the art of crocheting.

“I think knitting and crocheting is a lost art,” Cuneo said. “It was lost with our grandparents. I rarely meet people my own age who crochet, but it’s cool when I do meet them, and we can talk about it.”

One place Cuneo meets other crocheters is at McClay Branch Library’s knitting and crochet club. At the monthly meetings, Cuneo works on her crochet projects with others who share her interest. She also learns how to knit at these meetings.

“She picked up knitting very quickly,” librarian Carrie Mares said. “She’s very talented and creative.”

Cuneo said she plans to crochet for as long as she can afford yarn. She also is working on expanding her business by creating a website and business cards. Even without the money from the business, Cuneo enjoys crocheting because it is relaxing.

“Once you get a good rhythm going, you can let your mind wander,” Cuneo said. “It’s very monotonous, and it lets you relax.”