The Tempestry Project has a new collection coming to a library near you! 

You may recall that in April of 2023 the storefronts of Cold Spring's Main Street were adorned with colorful knitted and crocheted hangings illustrating our region's temperature data over the last century. That collection, organized by The Endless Skein and crafted by our community of knitters and crocheters, was later displayed in an eye-opening exhibit at the Putnam History Museum.

A new Tempestry collection is in the works, in conjunction with the Mid-Hudson Library System (MHLS). To learn more about this collaboration, we spoke with Emily and Asy from the Tempestry Project, as well as Johanna Reinhardt, director of the Julia Butterfield Memorial Library in Cold Spring. Read on!

Emily and Asy, how did the MHLS Tempestry Collection come about?

Emily and Asy: Connections, connections, connections! And blind luck. Asy was representing Vassar College’s Innovation Lab at a local Repair Cafe event last summer and met Sean, the president of the local Citizens’ Climate Lobby chapter. Sean then invited us to a Hudson Valley Climate Mixer – an annual social gathering for folks from a large swath of regional climate and sustainability organizations. We hosted a table there and had the wonderful good fortune of meeting Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, the Executive Director of the Mid-Hudson Library System, chair of the American Library Association’s Council Committee on Sustainability, and co-founder of the Sustainable Libraries Initiative. While not a knitter herself, Rebekkah immediately saw the potential for a Tempestry / Public Libraries collaboration. By the end of the evening, the idea for a system-wide Mid-Hudson Libraries Tempestry Collection was born.

Please tell us about the collection. How many libraries are participating? What span of years will be represented, and where is the data coming from?

Emily and Asy: This will be the largest Tempestry Collection to date, spanning a complete run from 1895 to 2025! 130+ knitters by way of 39 libraries in the Mid-Hudson Library System are participating in this collection, including your very own public library in Cold Spring. As with the Cold Spring collection, the data for the MHLS collection comes from Mohonk Preserve.

How can knitters and non-knitters get involved?

Emily and Asy: Honestly, we have been completely blown away by the enthusiastic response from the MHLS community. All 130 years were claimed within just a couple weeks of the Earth Day rollout of the project, and we’re still catching our breath and working our way through a long list of kits to process. We had several non-knitters jump in to sponsor kits for knitters for whom the kit price was prohibitive, and have some knitters on standby to help out if any participants are unable to complete their kits.  

Where will the collection be displayed, and when?

Emily and Asy: Our aim is to have all of the pieces returned to us by the end of the fall. As pieces start to come in before then, some libraries will be hosting ‘mini’ collections as a prelude to the full 130-piece collection. We’ve had several larger libraries with enough space to host the full collection reach out to us, and we’ll be working with them to coordinate displays starting April of 2026. Stay tuned for details!

Emily and Asy, is there anything else you’d like to share?

Emily and Asy: Not to rhapsodize too much, but the melding of Tempestry and public library systems just seems like a match made in heaven. The library world in general and the people who work in them, spend time in them, and love them often share a commitment to the notion of open access to knowledge, to community-building and collaboration, and to creating connections between people and ideas. These are all integral to our work behind the Tempestry Project as well.

Our hope is that the MHLS Tempestry Collection is the first of many such collaborations to come – so if you think your library system might be interested in a similar endeavor, please speak to your local library and feel free to reach out to us!

Johanna, what year did the Butterfield Library choose, and why?

Johanna: We chose 1925 because it is the year the library opened its doors to the community.

How can knitters participate in the Butterfield Library Tempestry?

Johanna: Anyone is welcome to stop in and knit one row or ten, as many as they would like! Staff can answer any questions, and there are also written instructions for those who prefer to go it alone!

What programs does the library offer for knitters and other crafters?

Johanna: The library has a knitting meet up on Fridays at 11:30. We also have knitting implements that can be checked out (and often have free yarn!) At various times throughout the year we offer related programs for children and adults. We are always looking for anyone who would like to share their skills and knowledge -- right now, Pat Angerame is providing her expertise leading up the Friday group!

Stop by The Julia Butterfield Memorial Library in Cold Spring to be a part of the collaborative Tempestry!

You can follow The Butterfield Library on Instagram @butterfieldlibrary and The Tempestry Project @tempestryproject.