Needlecrafters unite at the library
Clickety clack, clickety clack. No, it’s not a train, it’s the sound of needlecrafters creating wearable art at the library Sunday afternoon.
Slow to start with one member of the group sharing photos of her new puppy with the only other member in attendance, the Needlecrafters came together in earnest about half an hour past the 1 p.m. start time with 10 ladies gathered round their designated meeting place upstairs at the Bob Harkins branch of the library.
A sign quietly states the space is reserved for the needlecrafters and there’s no dispute. Every space is filled with knitters, crocheters and even a weaver who brought her portable project along.
The offerings of praise are strong in this little community with many people bringing in items for show and tell. There’s scarves, and lace concoctions, blankets and socks.
Coincidentally, two crocheters bring in items so similar in classic patterns that one might think they planned to make the set complementary each to the other and they each get equal praise.
Bonne Leiphart, group organizer, said and added the group will stop meeting soon - April 29 - for summer break and will reconvene in the fall. They’ve been meeting at the library for about four years now.
“The size of the group is something that evolves, some people come quite regularly, some drop in occasionally,” Leiphart said. “A fairly typical group is between six and eight and sometimes we’ve had as many as 12 and that gets a tad crowded but it’s a lot of fun.”
A major perk about so many crafters attending, Leiphart added, is that with so many people at different skill levels it allows for a depth of knowledge to be shared.
When someone is stumped, brainstorming and trouble shooting take place to resolve any crafting issue.
Tamara Kemble, fellow needlecrafter, created a lace shawl that took months to make. When she finished the beading and working with yarn that is 50 per cent spun pearls she bought an outfit to go with it and she wore her new outfit into the meeting, showcasing the shawl.
“It was beautiful,” Leiphart said. Now Kemble can’t find a reason to wear it.
“And I’m probably going to undo it,” Kemble said with conviction. “It’s so big, it really got bigger than I thought. It fits over my shoulders and it still goes right down to my ankles.”
The thought of Kemble undoing her lovely work makes Leiphart shake her head in disbelief.
“It’s just hanging there in my room and I look at it and think ‘well, that’s a beautiful waste of my time and rare yarn,” Kemble said.
Leiphart herself had an issue with a shawl not draping properly so someone suggested she weave a background to place the leaf-patterned shawl onto, which would offer the support it needs to rest comfortably. Leiphart, for the first time, has taken on weaving to elevate her original artistic effort for the shawl she would like to wear one day.
“I know it’s going to work,” she smiled.