When everyone had been introduced, MJ reminded them, “The doors will close at nine thirty so Maureen can go home and get ready to reopen with her knitting group in the morning at ten.” She sat down and started sorting through her bag for her thread card and a packet of needles, along with the lighted magnifier that fit over her head.

“Well, shoot, I can’t find my scissors,” said the woman across the table and two down.

MJ passed her scissors across the table and went back to searching the card for the right yarn. Good thing she had set this up correctly all those years ago, including enlarging the instructions.

“Here, you can keep them. I have an extra pair.” One of the other women handed hers over.

Conversations filled the air as people started getting to know each other.

“What are you working on?” Roxie asked the woman knitting next to her.

“A baby sweater and hat. The baby I started it for is now in first grade.”

Roxie burst out laughing. “Oh, good. I have a baby quilt to do and my niece is in junior high. I should teach her how to finish it.”

“Maybe you’ll have it done by the time she has a baby.”

“No, that’s the next project. I brought this table runner tonight so I could do the hand stitching on it. That way I can claim I finished something quickly to encourage myself.”

“Good idea.”

A sharp “Aaak!” broke the background hum of chatter. “I don’t have any more sewing machine needles. Well, rats.”

“Here.” Paula stood up and crossed to her. “These are universal, supposed to fit any machine. What size?”

“Twenty or twenty-one. I’m working on a quilt block.”

“There you go.” Paula handed her a needle.

Roxie poked MJ. “There’s an additional benefit of working together.”

“I guess this really is a service rather than a club. Or a ministry.” MJ finally had her needle threaded with the wool yarn and, locking the thread on the back, started the long and short fill-in stitches on the leaves. Her stitches looked clumsy at first but by the second leaf she’d settled back into the rhythm.

Some left about nine, always thanking Maureen for the meeting space, and the rest trickled out as they put their handwork away and stood, many of them rolling their shoulders and stretching.

MJ heard someone mutter, “I know better than to sit for that long, but the time flew by.”

Another answered her. “Next time I am bringing my own chair, one of the plastic high-backed outside ones. Lightweight and good for my back.”

“Good idea, think I’ll do the same.”

Several stopped to thank MJ and Roxie for getting the group started and others for realizing a daytime group would be good too. “I just don’t like driving in the dark anymore,” one of the older women commented. “Fine right now but when the nights get longer again? Daytime group for sure.”