The Art of Knitting

Fall has arrived…what a great time of the year to cozy up with a ball or two of yarn, some knitting needles and get creative. You can choose from the great collection of knitting books that the library has to offer and browse through our many amazing pattern books.

If you are just getting started, the library also offers books on how to knit. We have over 100 titles in our combined collections and also own many books on how to crochet plus wonderful pattern books for that craft as well. Create hats, scarves, sweaters, purses, baby articles and much, much more.

Anyone can knit – boys and girls and adults, and once you discover how cool it is, there will be no stopping you! There is nothing more rewarding than seeing your afghan grow and to feel the warmth it provides even while you are working on it, or watching your younger brothers and sisters or grandchildren at play in the leaves while wearing one of your handmade sweaters. Dad can slop around the house in a pair of warm slippers on those cold winter nights and you can even keep your pet warm with a nifty pet sweater when going out for a walk. What a feeling of satisfaction to be able to give something so personal, and created by you, to those you love.

The McCormick Branch has its own knitting club called “Nifty Knitters”, which is offered to children between the ages of 7 to 12. This is our second season and we have had many enthusiastic young learners join us and ultimately learn the basics of knitting - how to cast stitches on and off, the two basic stitches – knitting and purling and some fun stuff like making Icords and pompoms. The group is exposed to many variations and options on how to do things. Through the many books offered the children also learn to read patterns. One of our young ladies was so thrilled that she had mastered this hobby that she wrote a paper about our little club for a school project which asked - what was the most exciting thing that happened to you this year!

Knitting tends to create a very relaxed atmosphere. We all help each other if stuck, and have discussions about what we like to read and even tell each other stories – it is a group effort and close friendships begin – all very exciting.

So come in and visit us at the McCormick Branch Library and give it a whirl. Maybe in the near future we will be able to offer a knitting club for adults as well, but for now we have all the information you will ever need to get started and the great part of it is, we are free!

Deb