Crafts, cuppas and chats

WITH beading, patchwork, tapestry, crochet or knitting in hand, the members of Smythesdale Cuppa and Craft send waves of joyful chatter through The Well.

Sipping tea or coffee, 15 to 20 people of varying ages meet every Monday from 10am to 12pm to start, continue or complete meaningful, tactile projects, and catch up with like-minded people.

Laurel Sharp has come along most weeks for 10 years, finding it a motivator.

“It’s one way of making sure you’ve finished off things you started,” she said. “We do things for charity. I do knitting for the prem babies. We all knit rugs, beanies and scarves for the homeless.”

Lorraine Sala likes to wander around the room each week to see the variety of projects on the go and gain inspiration.

“It’s very enjoyable. We all get hints and ideas off each other and swap patterns,” she said. “One day Heather started knitting socks and one-by-one, we all started knitting socks.”

Each putting in a dollar when they attend, the members are a “great bunch” to Ms Sala.

“I enjoy the company. It’s no pressure. We’re a bit loud sometimes, we have to shut the door,” she laughed.

For Robyn Green, it’s a good thing for the community out in the shire’s north to get together.

“Just come. Sit down, have a chat and bring whatever you want to work on. There’s a lot of laughter.”

Find Smythesdale Cuppa and Craft every Monday, 10am to 12pm at The Well, 19 Heales Street, Smythesdale.