Every Tuesday at 1 p.m. Chicks with Sticks meets in the meeting room at the Scenic Regional Library, 912 S. Highway 47, Warrenton.This is a group of knitting and crocheting ladies, and one man, who meet for crafting and camaraderie. They say the free class is for anyone who’s ever wanted to learn how to knit or crochet, and anyone who wants to refresh those skills.Current members welcome new members of all skill levels, from beginner to expert. They want to see more people participate in Chicks with Sticks.Mary Gardner founded the group a while back as a night class. It’s been reintroduced this year during the day. Gardner said when people start attending the classes regularly, it becomes about more than just arts and crafts. Eventually members tend to see it as a social hour with crafting.On Nov. 13 members were seated in a semicircle around a table with bags of needles and yarn sitting within reach on the floor. They were knitting, crocheting, and doing some show and tell with past projects. The conversation flowed about stitches, patterns, and life in general.Gardner said she was newly married when her mother-in-law taught her how to crochet in 1959.“I made a granny square afghan for my husband that Christmas,” she recalled.He received the gift in January.Crocheting, as is knitting, is an art. Learning takes a bit of time and practice.“The more you do it, the faster and better you get,” said Pam McGrath.McGrath was crocheting 6-inch squares using red yard.“This is what I’ve used (as a dishcloth) almost all my life,” McGrath said.She said her grandmother and mother made them to use. McGrath made them for her home, and she makes them for her daughter.McGrath, like other members, have some knowledge or skill level for knitting. McGrath said she thinks knitting is harder. It requires two needles, more focus and more time.Group members call Dave McConnell the “knitting master.” He was working on an afghan during the Dec. 13 class.McConnell learned how to crochet in a class in the craft department at a Sears store in 1974. He switched to knitting because he wanted to make sweaters and he liked the look of the stitches knitting needles created.He is perhaps known locally as the craftsman who made the small wood train at the new park in Truesdale. Woodworking is one hobby. Knitting is another.“I’ll sit in front of the TV and work at it,” he said.Participants on this day were expert as well as people who needed a refresher to make gifts for birthdays, weddings and holidays. People who join now might be able give a handmade gift to someone this Christmas.Gardner has been crocheting most of her life and giving away her creations. She wants them put to good use, too. She’ll make more if more are needed, she said.“There’s hardly a day that goes by that I don’t do a little crocheting,” Gardner said. “I enjoy it for the relaxation and the accomplishment.”Anyone is welcome to attend a Tuesday class, no reservations necessary.

Chatting is part of the weekly Chick with Sticks class at the Scenic Regional Library in Warrenton. The group helps each other with crocheting and knitting skills. Pictured are group founder Mary Gardner, left, and member Pam McGrath. 

Record photo/Kate Miller