EveryMonday, sincethe start ofJanuary this year,at the Senior PlanetCenterin Plattsburgh,older adult crafters gatherfor acrochet and fiber arts discussion group.The group quickly becametight-knit(nopunintended), through their sharedloveof learning new crafts, sharing projects and supporting one another.Wespokewithparticipant,MaryLavorando(71)andJess Fortin, theSenior PlanetCenter Manager in North Country,about howthey are using crafts to foster community and creativityway up north.Howdyou get involved in the crochet and fiber arts group?JF:I am a crafty person, and several of my regular participants had mentioned that putting together a craft group like this would bea great wayfor them to get together in a community building manner.ML:I learned to crochet when I was a kid, but I never really did anythingwithit.For years, my creativity came through cooking.So,itsjust nice to have a little something differentnow.Forinstance, Ihave younggrandchildren,soI made them winter hats to match their coats.One of the members recently brought up to the group that the hospital is looking for crocheted octopusesfor the preemies, where thetentaclesaremadein a spiral pattern.The babies havelittle, tiny fingers and canactuallygrab thetentacles tosooththemselves.Soweregoing todo thatnext!Whatmakes this group special?ML:Weall bring whateverproject weare workingonand we get help from each other.Also, weall look out for each other;itsa very social group.I look forward to connecting with these other people that Iprobably wouldnever see otherwise.I mean who looks forward to Mondays? I do.JF:I love to see the sense of community grow within the group, and howclose offriends most have become!There is a fabulous feel of support among them, with their crafting and life in general.How can people join this group?JF:Feel free to stop by the Senior Planetcenterin Plattsburg any Monday at 11:45am and join us any skill level is welcome! We provide hooks and yarn to those who are learning(andare always accepting donations ofeither inthe center).Wewelcome anyone who would like to learn, to refresh their skills, or even just someone wanting to join for a sense of community!The Crotchet and Fiber Arts Groupmeetsevery Monday at 11:45am in Plattsburgh, NY.Clickhere for details!Photo: Jess FortinPam Hugi is Senior Planets Community and Advocacy Manager.Based in Brooklyn, she is a contributing writer for this site.
Publisher: Senior Planet ( Read More )
