Page 6 October 19, 2017 TORRANCE TRIBUNE
By TerriAnn Ferren
Are you artistic or gifted? Are you a craft
person? There are those in Torrance who are
brimming with talent. They knit, crochet,
make cards, and devise all sorts of other
artistic creations every week. Last Wednesday,
I visited a group of people who gather
at Isabel Henderson Library for socializing,
knitting, crocheting and creating lots of other
handmade items.
It all began six years ago when Gail Van
Vranken, who was Senior Librarian at the
Isabel Henderson Library at the time, was
looking to develop adult programming--and
because she loves crafts, she thought a craft
program would be perfect. Gail told me she
wanted a place “where people could come
and meet, congregate, interface and help
each other when they were having [craft]
problems, get inspiration for their next project
and share ideas. It was just a program where
people would bring in their portable crafts
and have space to do it for two hours [noon
until 2 p.m.].”
Gail began with seven participants and
the group has grown to 15-20 people. A lot
of people knit and crochet simply because
it is portable. They also have people who
make cards and do felting. “I quilt…and I
brought my quilt here today hoping to get
some ideas for the binding. Mary is learning
to crochet,” said Gail. “You always know
someone who knows one more step than you
do--or if you are learning a new craft, you
start from there.” After Gail retired earlier
this year, she continued meeting with the
group every Wednesday. People find out
about the group through word of mouth,
during visits at the library, or when they see
the large group crafting and ask the librarian
about the program. Also, the Craft Delight
Program is listed in the City of Torrance
calendar of events.
“I found out about it by coming to the
book clubs and Gail was the head librarian,
and I just started coming. I have come a long
ways and although it may not look like much,
for me it is a lot,” said Mary Kahler as she
proudly showed me her crocheted potholder.
Mary went on to tell me she doesn’t consider
herself a “crafter.” She thinks of herself as a
“reader” and said, “That’s why this is such a
big deal to me and Gail knows this is a big
deal to me. I come because there is always
something to learn.”
Next I spoke with Sue Wilson, who was
busy making a baby blanket. She said, “I
knit simple patterns, hats, baby blankets…
and donate them. They go to my neighbor
who is retired from Harbor General and they
go with her. We did send some to Cleveland,
Texas through Manhattan Beach after the
hurricane.”
The particular Wednesday I visited the
Craft Delight Program, Gail brought in the
quilt she is currently working on and told me,
“This is a quilt that I made and I am going
to ask people who do more quilting than I
do... I am looking for the binding--should
I use this, or use something darker? This
quilt will be donated to an abused women’s
shelter in Long Beach, which is where this
quilt will be going.”
The group is open to absolutely everyone.
One interesting bit of information I learned
from the group was that they have “seasonal
members” who arrive in Southern California
for the “winter months” to participate in
the group, and then return home during the
summer months.
Chris Mosher told me she has been participating
in the group about six months
and said, “I have been crocheting and knitting
since I was 15. Some people from this
group came to our Monday group, so word
of mouth. Everybody is so friendly and helpful.
I like to make baby blankets. We give
them to Miller Children’s Hospital in Long
Beach for cancer patients. We do hats and
make scarves for the military and we make
lap robes for VITAS--a local hospice--and
also we make scarves and hats for abused
women and their children.”
Janet Slovak mainly crochets and told me,
as she lifted her work for me to admire, “This
is going to be a cat snuggle for the animal
shelter--so every time a cat gets adopted, they
get one of these snuggle blankets. I am with
the rescue group, Pet Assisted Foundation.
They have been one of the longest existing
animal rescues. They have been in existence
since the mid-‘50s. So every cat who gets
adopted gets a gift package with a snuggle
blanket, cat toys, literature, etc.”
Gail emphasized that the group is filled
with people who learn from each other.
What one person might not know, another
person might. Truly these people learn and
teach each other as the knowledge in their
handcrafted skill grows.
Ava Marshall mentioned that she has
been coming to the group for a couple of
years and she does just about everything.
She told me, “I knit, crochet and sew, and
I have done embroidery and quilting. For
my quilting, I usually donate to battered
women and children, but right now I am
making fingerless gloves for my friend for
her birthday!” Ava added that she “gifts”
lots of the things she makes to her friends
and nearly always crochets or knits when
she does her homework, reads a book, or
Craft Delight Program attendees.
watches TV. Her mom, Sage Marshall, knits,
crochets and quilts as well. “It is never too
late [to learn]. I come to the library all the
time. My kids pretty much grew up here and
I knew Gail, and now Denise [the current
Senior Librarian] and it happened organically.
Before the group started, I would knit and
crochet in the library with my daughter. It
is so relaxing. My husband and son knit as
well,” added Sage.
Next I spoke with Ilene Gelbaum, who told
me, “I am a ‘crocheter.’ I used to crochet at
my mother’s knees when I was five and a
half ’cuz I loved crocheting. We had a onehour
trip from Brooklyn to New York once
a week and so it was an hour there and an
hour back and the fact is, she said, ‘You will
crochet!’ So I learned and I was good at it,
and I have done it through pregnancies and
through sitting with women in labor. When I
retired, I was looking for a group of crocheters.
You can find 20 knitting groups if you find
one group where there is another crocheter.
I tried 16 different groups and I found this
group, and oh my gosh--they’re crocheting.
Wow…and that is how I got involved.”
Ilene also told me she crochets scarves
for Handmade Especially For You (a nonprofit),
which distributes the scarves to
abused women’s shelters all over California.
“We are coming up on the 100,000th scarf
in eight years,” added Ilene. Mark, Ilene’s
husband, also attends the weekly group--and
along with three other women, does wool
felting at one round table. In addition to all
the knitting, crocheting and wool felting, the
group also makes hats and capes for chemo
units, scarves for the military, and blankets
and hats for Millers Children’s Hospital, as
well as items for the animal shelters and
other charitable organizations. These are
busy people!
What I noticed about this welcoming Torrance
group is the incredible admiration each
has for the other. Not one person hesitated
bragging about the other. These are open,
giving, generous people who enjoy each
other’s company and give the fruit of their
love to others.
Denise Fiedler, current Senior Librarian,
told me she welcomes everyone into the group
that meets in the library every Wednesday
afternoon from noon to 2 p.m. This very
social, talented, giving group is brimming
with life, and did I mention they also bring
cookies? So check out the Craft Delight
Program at Isabel Henderson Library, located
at 4805 Emerald Street, next Wednesday. The
gang will be there, welcoming you into their
hearts and circle. •
TerriAnn in Torrance
The Craft Delight Program: Where Creative Crafters Meet
Sage and Ava Marshall.
Sue Wilson, Mary Kahler, and Gail Van Vranken. Scarf for abused women’s shelter.
Chris Mosher.