Craft Carnival

By Diane Hanson Monterey Board Member and Volunteer

Tuesday mornings see a long line of ladies (and the occasional gentleman) coming into the Centre carrying many bags. They find a spot at a table in the Garry Oak room and start settling in. They greet their friends and exchange the usual pleasantries of the morning regarding the weather and the state of their health. All the while they bring out of those bags colourful balls of yarn and continue working on their projects. Most club members work on knitting, crocheting or jewelry projects here and at home. The knitted and crocheted projects range from small toys to afghans in size. They include such items as baby wear, toddler and children’s sweaters, socks, slippers, toques, scarves and mittens. They also include dishcloths, aprons, bibs, and various other items. As well, there are projects for seasonal holidays. The jewelry offers a wide variety of treasures and we have a watchmaker on hand most Tuesdays. The folks coming in on Tuesdays are different from the ones who came over 35 years ago when the club was first formed. It was one of six clubs at the time! But the purpose has remained the same; using donated materials to make articles to sell in the display cabinets in the MRC lobby. The money raised is used by MRAA to enhance members’ experiences at the MRC. MRAA provides subsidies for special events, day trips, the Fern Café kitchen, birthday and get-well cards, birthday cakes, furniture purchases and many more projects. Over the years, the original purpose has expanded to become a safe and pleasant meeting space where members can make new friends, learn new things, chit chat with those around us, while enjoying a coffee, tea or hot chocolate and a goodie. It is a noisy and busy place but you can always hear the laughter in the room. There is always room for new members, new crafts and new friends. Even if you can only attend sporadically, you are always welcome. And if you would like to learn how to knit and crochet, we have many people who would be happy to mentor you. I’m very glad I found these folks!