Queanbeyan woman starts craft library outside her house – and it's going gangbusters

Kathleen Morrow has been volunteering with the Queanbeyan Hospital Auxiliary for five years – enough time to build up quite the supply of craft materials.

“We make poppies for Anzac Day, blankets for babies and blankets for palliative care too – because it’s often older people coming in from nursing homes with basically just their nightie and they’re in those blue gowns that aren’t very discreet. So we make something to put around their legs,” she says.

Now, the long-time Queanbeyan resident finally has an outlet for all the leftover yarn, crochet hooks, knitting needles, beads, buttons, cross-stitch kits, colouring books and more.

Kathleen has launched the region’s first craft library, in the form of a converted mini-fridge outside her home on Christopher Crescent. And it’s already going “gangbusters”.

“It’s only been up for a week, and it’s already a hit,” Kathleen says.

“The other day, I came home and there were six bags sitting on my patio. So my daughter and I have been sorting through them and making up craft kits because some of the bags coming in are very scattered.”

The idea originates from friends in Nova Scotia, Canada, where it’s not unusual for there to be all sorts of mini libraries on suburban streets, whether for books or artwork.

“So I sat and thought about what we could do. Because here in Queanbeyan, we’ve already got about a dozen little book libraries and we’ve got a produce library as well.”

Of the items Kathleen uses at the hospital auxiliary craft group, many of the leftovers are donated to the textile class at Queanbeyan High School and others to local preschools.

“But there are always things like cross-stitch kits and various other items that can’t be shared equally so the schools don’t want them,” she says.

So when an old wine fridge popped on a local freebie Facebook page, she knew what to do.

“It’ll keep the condensation out because we often hear people complaining about how the books in the book libraries are going mouldy. And my husband locked the shelves in place so they can’t be removed and kids can’t get trapped in there,” she says.

The library went up on Tuesday (21 January) and the community response has been “overwhelming”.

Sorting through the bags of donations into useable craft kits has become a daily task for Kathleen and her daughter.

“I was topping it up four times a day,” she says.

“The kits seem to be the most popular, I think because people are short on time so they can come and grab something from here without having to go to Spotlight or something to source a particular thread or needle.”

Kathleen says “loads of families” have been coming through with parents likely desperate to find something for the kids to do in the last few days of school holidays.

Like most street libraries, it works best when those who take something also donate in return. But such is the volume of donations she’s receiving, this hasn’t been critical.

“That’s supposed to be how it works. But I also know not everyone can afford crafts, so I’ve written on the side: ‘Take what you need, give what you can’.”

The craft library is located at 27 Christopher Crescent, Karabar. Donations of craft items are welcome anytime.