Local Threads Warm Winter and Hearts

A marathon for knitters and crocheters alike stormed for a two-day knitting event.

Titled "Spread the Warmth," last weekend's event brought crafters from all around Northeast Ohio to spend an afternoon together and enjoy a common hobby while giving back to the community. 

The project was dreamed up by Rebecca Chou who, in conjunction with , created the program. Chou is currently enrolled in the Nonprofit Management Certificate Program at . She thought of the idea in November while brainstorming creative ways to fundraise. Crocheting has been a winter pastime for her since her teens, so the idea seemed to fit. The project also was a great way for her to translate what she has learned in the classroom into reality.

Participants were invited to gather at The North Water Street Gallery where tables were piled with yarns of various shades and sizes, all donated by Pat Catans. 

More than 76 items have been collected. That breaks down to 14 pairs of socks, 18 scarves, 41 hats, and 3 non-handmade gently used items. Some items were made on site and some were dropped off. A few of the goods will be sold at the gallery with half of the proceeds going towards Standing Rock and half toward  of Portage County. The remaining items will be donated to the nonprofit social service agency, which runs the county's homeless shelters.

Chou enjoyed the company of 11 other crafters last Saturday. There was a lot more than stitching going on, however. Through her conversations, Chou has gathered lots of ideas to expand the program into the coming years. She believes this will become an annual event for Standing Rock.

By Sunday at 5 o'clock, Keena Sosnowski and her mother-in-law Karen Sosnowski were the two remaining knitters.

Actually, it was Karen's first time trying her hand at the trade. She learned to use a knitting loom the day before and had already produced a soft green hat.  She said that Keena had read about the event in the Record Courier and the two ladies from Suffield decided to make a weekend out of it.  "Keena always has good ideas," Karen said.

As the day came to an end, two gentlemen walked in and asked to learn to knit. They happened to be walking by at just the knick of time as Keena was not yet exhausted from her weekend of knitting, and she proceeded to introduce the first and apparently most difficult step in the process of knitting: "casting on."

The two men were Hans Maharawal and Hassib Chebli. They were downtown to visit the next door. When they found it closed, they decided to explore. They were diligent learners, working through the frustration of the unruly yarns and confused fingers not yet adept to the ways of the needle. Chebli wondered what his mother, who knits hats for newborns, would think when he called her and told her he had learned to knit.

It seems as if this event was beneficial for people in numerous ways. From warming chilled fingers and toes to indroducing like-minded individuals to exchanging the skills of the trade, kudos to all who participated.

If you missed the weekend's festivities, it isn't too late. Standing Rock Cultural Arts will also receive donations of other gently used, preferably handmade, items through March 10th. Bring donations to The North Water Street Gallery at 257 N. Water Street in Kent