Knot of friends shares hobby
Among the varied tomes in the Butler Public Library, a group of women have gathered for a reason outside of their literary interests.
Coated in Afghans and wrapped in stylish scarves, these women gather every week to knit and crochet.
The group began as a series of knitting and crocheting classes last spring, but has evolved to an informal group.
Attendance at the meetings changes from week to week. During summer months, when the group met on the library's patio, attendance grew as passers-by became interested.
During colder months, when about 10 committed members gather each week, a circle of chairs is assembled
in the library's young adult section.At any given time, members can be engaged in one or several conversations, with topics as varied as their colorful, soft yarns. Often, more experienced crafters are called upon to offer advice or help fix errors.For Janet Bickel, her progress is often interrupted by those seeking her unique skill of untangling knotted yarn."They say I'm patient, I've been there and done that I guess," said Bickel.The assistance is helpful to beginning crocheters like Aleksas Erone, who took up the hobby over the summer with her friend Serenity McCarthy-Arnone.Despite the conversation and consultations, several members say they make much more progress at the weekly meetings than at home."Sometimes this is the only place I crochet,"noted Debbie McCarthy-Arnone, a founding member of the group.Debbie was one of six volunteers who helped begin knitting and crocheting classes at the library.Classes began in the spring when knitters Debby Hoover and Ginny Besterman organized the sessions.To get them started, the group received a donation from Community Life Church, which purchased needles, crochet hooks and yarn for beginners to practice with.The afternoon classes attracted a number of adults and youths, many of them students at nearby Butler Junior High School.For Debby Hoover, who taught classes, the growing interest made it impossible to plan."We had different people every week,"she said noting her classes grew with each session. At one time, a weekly session attracted 55 participants.Those learning or simply gathering to work on projects ranged from 12 to 90 years old. One home-schooled student used the sessions to fulfill an art requirement of her educational program.A self-taught knitter, Hoover learned that teaching others can be challenging."You have to have more patience to teach than to learn," she said.Over time, the formal lessons waned into the current club, a gathering of friends who share conversation and advice on projects.
Now meeting at 7 p.m. every Tuesday, the group no longer keeps an attendance record or organizes classes.Despite the lack of formality, the women involved still seek a purpose for meeting.Together, the group has created items to sell at the Butler Library's craft show, Afghans donated to a church for baptisms and others donated to those who lost their homes in the Concordia Haven I apartment fire in November."There's always something useful you can be doing,"noted Hoover, who has found several charities that value her skill.For each new sweater pattern she tries, Hoover makes a child-size sweater she donates to Afghans for Afghans, a charity that sends knit and crocheted items to Afghanistan.Though Hoover has found several outlets that can use her skills, the group as a whole hopes to find more local organizations that can use their handmade wares.Several members are also willing to teach classes again if there is interest."It's nice to see people interested in this,"she said.
