SOUTH RIVER Coming together locally to bring attention to the world’s vanishing ocean dwellings, the South River Library is hosting the “Crochet Coral Reef” project throughout the summer.
Armed with crochet needles, yarn and two instructors, participants and members of the library’s knit and crochet group have been creating colorful sea creatures and coral reefs that are assembled and put on display at the library.
“The Crochet Coral Reef project is an environmental awareness and mathematics project,” said Evalina Erbe, director of the library. “One of our volunteers heard about [the project] and we decided to have out knit and crochet group make one.”
Participants will work on the reef from 2-4 p.m. every Thursday through Aug. 22, according to Erbe.
“[Erbe] just emailed me about this project and asked if I’d be interested. I said absolutely because I had heard about it many years ago and I know about this project and it just sounded so exciting to do something very specific with it instead of just the usual shawls, scarfs [and] sweaters,” said Sandy Kandel, a retired art teacher, who instructs the project with Gerrie Misiewicz, a retired math teacher. “I think [the project] is a fantastic idea because I am very into the ecology and nature and I watch a lot of that and read a lot about it. What excites me is that people are starting to pay attention and trying to clean [coral reefs] up, because our coral reefs are dying and just like the rainforest they are responsible for our weather and the whole planet depends on the health of the coral reefs and they have been dying because of pollution.”
The library is also using this project as an effort to draw in new members. Anyone over age eight, regardless of his/her residency, may join.
“This seems like a good opportunity to attract new members,” Erbe said. “It also goes well with the summer reading program theme this year: Build a Better World.”
The Thursday afternoon knit and crochet group will continue through fall.
The library is located at 55 Appleby Ave., South River.
For more information about the crochet club, visit www.southriverlibrary.org or call 732-254-2488.
For more information about the Crochet Coral Reef project, visit www.crochetcoralreef.org.
Contact Vashti Harris at vharris@newspapermediagroup.com.
