For the Lititz Library Knitters, knitting is much more than a way to pass time. It is an art, a craft, an avenue for creation. And for the club's members, the act of knitting is more enjoyable when shared.

The Lititz Library Knitters meet three times a month at the Lititz Public Library, on the first and third Mondays from 10 a.m. to noon and on the last Tuesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Not only are the meetings very informal, but they also serve as a form of support for knitters and their knitting endeavors.

"The goal is to promote knitting and other fiber manipulative arts," said Barbara Elliott, who serves as the Lititz Library Knitters' moderator and spokesperson. "But we also want to promote fellowship and the sharing of ideas. We help each other as needed, but we don't teach."

The Lititz Library Knitters are currently made up of about 20 to 25 mostly local women. The members create mainly clothing items - hats, scarves, sweaters and shawls - but also dish cloths, afghans, children's toys and bazaar items.

"It's a way to meet like-minded people. We really have all levels of expertise," said Elliott. "At the meetings, we always start with introductions if there's someone new, just to make them feel welcomed. Then we go around the room and each person will talk about what they're working on or display a finished product. We want everyone to feel like what they're working on is valuable. I do moderate the meeting in that respect, and I try to have some tidbit of information about knitting. Pretty much everyone has a couple of things going."

While it can also be performed by a machine, knitting is the act of using two needles to interloop fibers or yarn into rows to create a finished product.

Elliott's grandmother gave her a pair of knitting needles when Elliott was a child. "Besides that, I'm self-taught," she said. "I've studied through books, talking with other knitters and word of mouth. I've been involved in fiber arts always. I was knitting sweaters in high school. If it's something you like to do, you find time to do it."

Depending upon one's approach, knitting can be work or recreation.

"It's been referred to as a type of repetitive Zen movement," said Elliott. "I can do it while I'm watching TV. If I'm doing something more intense, I've got to focus on the project. You budget your time just like anything else."

The Lititz Public Library started the knitting group in 2017.

"The friendships have been building," said Elliott. "We really enjoy meeting with one another. There is a sense of community. The knitting brings us together. We want to spread the word so we can get another generation going. That's another reason to do this: to foster knitting for the future. You want to plant a seed. If you don't teach the skills, it's going to die out."