If you visited Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library recently, you might have noticed a colorful collection of pom-poms planted in the grounds outside.
The whimsical pom-pom garden encouraged donations to the Alexandria Library’s annual Yarn Storm drive, which collected some 400 hats, mittens and scarves for donation to an Alexandria shelter.
Items collected throughout November will be brought to Alexandria Community Lodgings, a shelter that offers transitional housing, affordable housing and youth education programs to families experiencing homelessness.
Operated since 2013, Yarn Storm invites the community to knit or purchase cold weather accessories for donation ahead of the winter season. Librarian Jessica Shea took over the program in 2014 with the help of fellow librarian Sara Severn.
“The idea of Yarn Storm began with the desire to harness the creative community for the good of individuals in need,” Shea told ALXnow. “Beatley Central Library has held this program annually since 2014, and in recent years has expanded collection of items to the branches as well. ”
The library “has a strong and loyal fiber arts community,” Shea said, with an estimated 100 people who contributed to this year’s donations.
Yarn Storm will return in November 2026, but crafters hoping to get their hands on a new project sooner can partake in the ongoing Carefull Knit & Crochet program at Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library.
The group meets on the first and third Thursdays of each month to work on fiber arts projects for donation to charity groups.
The library system also offers a variety of knitting and crocheting classes and crafting groups, some of which are listed below. More information on programming is available on the Alexandria Library website.
- Handcraft Crafternoon at Beatley
- Stitcher’s Space at Burke
- Nerdy Knotters at Duncan
- Handcraft Tuesday, which meets on Zoom
- Weekly Knit Nite for kids and teens at Beatley
