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‘Loose knit group’ forms a tight bond
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Austintown resident Carol Lunger (left) and Poland resident JoAnne Carney have been a part of "A Loose Knit Group" since it started in 2009. They have been volunteers at Fellows Riverside Gardens for more than 40 years.
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Girard's Janice Thomas (left) and Poland's Darlene Kocusko conversed with one another as they crocheted small rectangles. The pieces will be crocheted together with other group member's peices to make a large afghan.
Some of the best gifts are those made the old fashioned way — by hand.
Fellows Riverside Gardens is home to a group of crafty women who call themselves “A Loose Knit Group.” Established in 2009, the group is comprised of skilled knitters and crocheters who donate their finished products to nonprofit organizations.
The group is grateful to its community for supplying them with yarn that they said, “has been coming in by the pounds,” and needles for their crocheting and knitting projects.
The group donates everything it makes to community organizations such as the Rescue Mission and the YWCA’s Women in Transition Program. The members make afghans, scarfs, hats and mittens. The last donation they made was 30 afghans to the YMCA. They are currently working on afghans for patients at the Akron Children’s Hospital of the Mahoning Valley.
Austintown’s Carol Lunger, who has been with the groups since it was founded, enjoys the closeness of the group that has formed over the years. She enjoys listening to the life stories that members share as they knit and the variety of knitting projects.
“You have all different types of people here and there are so many different stories,” Lunger said. “We work on so many different projects and it’s nice to help others.”
Over the summer, the group created a sculpture, Lily Pad Lounge, that was featured in Fellows Riverside Gardens’ botanical garden. The yarn-based masterpiece was collectively made by the group and featured flowers, lily pads, grass, a frog and a chair. Each member made a small part of the sculpture that was ultimately combined together to make the finished product.
The group meets the first and third Fridays of each month at 10 a.m. until noon in the Fellows Riverside Gardens’ library. Participation is free and the group members are willing to give lessons on knitting and crocheting. Their next gathering will be Friday.