You already may know that you can check out a bag of books for your book group. Or a telescope for exploring the night sky. Here is another new type of kit, one I’m especially excited about. This Summer we are adding kits for people who would like to try knitting or crocheting for the first time, or who would like to return to the craft. Yes! I am so happy we are offering these physical kits. They live at Columbia Public Library and can be interlibrary loaned to any of the other regional branches.
These kits are made possible by the Verna Wulfekammer bequest.
Each Fiber Art kit contains everything you need: proper knitting needles or crochet hooks, stitch markers, a needle to weave in the ends, a how-to book and a skein of yarn for your first project. Follow along with Zoe Bateman in her book “You Will Be Able to Crochet by the End of This Book” or with Rosie Fletcher in her book “You Will Be Able to Knit by the End of This Book.” Clear instructions and good illustrations to help you understand what your hands and needles are supposed to do. Check them out for four weeks and then if no one is waiting, renew to keep it a bit longer. The skein of yarn is yours to keep. When you return a kit we will replace the skein for the next person.
For your convenience, we’ve created a resource page with many useful links so you can access our resources without having to read through this post. I always say that we like to give people options and there is usually more than one way to do something around here. Read on if you want to hear my take on each resource!
If you are a visual learner and would like to watch other people’s hands, you could check out some of our online sources. One is CreativeBug, an online video platform for thousands of crafting classes, many by well-known makers who will get your creativity jumpstarted. Your library card is your passport to this wonderful resource! Just about every popular creative craft is available. I didn’t find basket weaving… but there are tons of videos for fiber arts. These make fine additions to the how-to books in the kits.
Hoopla is another great resource for eBooks about knitting and crocheting. Access the books on your phone, tablet or computer, any time day or night; great for those late-night crafting sessions. Hoopla also provides audiobooks, movies, tv shows, music and comics. The few knitting-related audiobooks I’ve found on Hoopla are fiction books and are usually mysteries. Makes me wonder sometimes why so many mysteries occur in yarn or quilting stores. Are we encouraging you to join the ranks of amateur sleuths? No, not at all. But we do hope you enjoy this new craft. Once you start to get the hang of handling needles and yarn, you can watch movies or play audiobooks in the background. Find both on Hoopla!
You won’t find movies on Overdrive but you will find magazines as well as books. These can be another inspirational resource as you continue learning about your new skill. Overdrive provides audiobooks, eBooks and magazines. You will find many new projects in the magazines but I do have to share that you cannot print anything out of an Overdrive-provided magazine due to copyright restrictions. There are 14 knitting magazines and 20 for crochet, and if you develop a love of your new craft as I have for quilting, you will really enjoy having access to all these magazines.
If you prefer to have physical copies of the books and magazines, take a moment to explore the DBRL catalog or our app. Both will help you locate physical copies (as well as digital copies) of how-to books, fiction books, magazines and more. Put things on hold if you wish and then just pick them up from the checkout desk, but don’t forget the exploring aspect of browsing the shelves! Some of my favorite books have been those happy accidental discoveries while browsing.
I hope you’ve fallen in love with your new craft by now, so let’s step out of the library to find supplies and community. Find other knitters and crocheters by checking in with locally-owned yarn shops or with the Columbia Weavers and Spinners Guild. The CWSG offers special interest groups as well as holding a large monthly meeting and everyone is always welcome. Take your work bag!
If you prefer to connect online, do a bit of research on social media. Ravelry is a great place to start, being the biggest single online community for fiber-loving people. You can join it for free. Find patterns, forums, groups and friends! And I can assure you from my own experience that there are people who crochet and knit on every platform.
Supplies are easy: in Columbia, there are two locally-owned yarn shops as well as nationally-owned stores. This link will take you to Google maps and a search for ‘yarn’ within Boone and Callaway counties.
Are you ready to start playing with yarn? It is very addicting. I’d rather cut up perfectly good fabric and sew it into new fabric, but even I get the itch to turn gorgeous yarns into cozy scarves and mittens. I wish you much joy and happiness as you check out a fiber art kit and learn a new skill.
