Crochet Club giving back to GBCPL

Published 4:06 pm Tuesday, November 10, 2015

The Greenville-Butler County Public Library’s crochet club is holding a two-day bazaar just in time for the impending cold weather.

The event will feature baked goods and an assortment of knitted and crotched items, all held together with “lots of stitches and lots of love” to warm up Camellia City residents both inside and out, as well as books, silent auction items, door prizes and more.

Crotchet club member Lorraine Boutwell said that the event is a way of expressing thanks to give back to the library, which in turn gives a great deal back to the community in the form of free events such as Harry Potter and Star Wars-themed days for the surrounding area’s youth.

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“We do appreciate the public coming by, because all proceeds from the bazaar will go back into the library,” Boutwell said. “It helps them with some of their projects and events that they do for free with the general public.”

GBCPL director Kevin Pearcey said that last year’s inaugural bazaar was a resounding success, and he’s looking forward to the crochet club duplicating that same success this year.

“Last year the Crochet Club raised nearly $700 for the library, which helped us provide summer programming and other materials for the people of Greenville and Butler County,” Pearcey said.

“We are certainly appreciative of their efforts and their willingness to give of themselves. Our very own Pat Tucker has done a wonderful job in coming up with unique ideas and projects for the ladies in the Crochet Club to work together on and it wouldn’t be the success it has been without her.”

The crotchet club itself is always on the lookout for new members, regardless of their skill level.

Vonciel Bedgood is one such beginner, who knew comparatively little about crotcheting compared to her fellow club members.

But in the midst of completing a Christmas-themed scarf, replete with the visage of the jolly Saint Nicolas himself, she remarked on the progress she’s made.

“It’s been years and years and years ago since I last crocheted,” Bedgood said.  “I really had to relearn, and I’m still relearning.”

Boutwell said that, like many things in life, crocheting is a matter of taking a big problem and tackling it one step at a time.

“When you look at a finished product, it’s intimidating,” Boutwell said. “But when you go one line or one row at a time, it all develops.  It’s just like anything else.  You’ve got to slow down and see the parts before you can see the finished product.”

The bazaar will be held from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Friday, and from 10 a.m. until noon on Saturday.