The peaceful clicking of knitting needles can be heard on a Tuesday at Cotuit Library, as a group of knitters sits by a cozy fireplace fire, pursuing their individual projects and enjoying conversation. That includes talk about the latest mystery they’re reading as part of the library’s 12 O’Clock Mystery and Knitting Club.

It pretty much seems like the perfect way to spend some time on a chilly, bright winter’s day.

Jessica Rudden-Dube, the library’s executive director, started up the group in November. An avid knitter and mystery fan herself, she says she was simply looking for a way to get together with others “who love knitting and love mysteries.”

Other people who love knitting have been meeting weekly for much of the past few years at Centerville Library. While there has been another COVID-19-related pause, the library typically hosts Knitting for a Cause on Tuesdays, too. Here’s a look at both groups:

Besides Rudden-Dube, who lives in Sandwich, the core group on the day we visited includes Joyce Meyer of East Falmouth and Amanda Volkoff, Chris Thompson and Diane Stadterman, all of Cotuit. The group usually numbers six or eight, and Rudden-Dube says there are also some new recruits on the horizon.

At this gathering, members were working on their creations – a scarf, mittens, a cap, a cowl and a sweater, in an array of sizes, colors and designs.

The back-and-forth conversations included multiple exchanges of knitting tips, advice and good humor. Volkoff, speaking about the considerable skills of another knitter she knows, compared her talents jokingly to those of Thompson, who was sitting next to her: “She does things like you do — with 20 needles.” Rudden-Dube sought counsel on her newest project: a pair of Nordic mittens, under way using four slim needles. Stadterman modeled a sparkly black shawl sweater she was just completing.

Different takes on yarns and on the merits or faults of aluminum vs. wooden knitting needles blended with such subjects as visits from in-laws and the recent snowstorm. Then the fireside talk turned to murder, as the group took up the plots of the current mystery books they’ve chosen for discussion.

“A Beautiful Blue Death” by Charles Finch got a thumbs-up from one group member: “At the halfway point, I still don’t know who the murderer is”; while consideration of the newest choice, “The Long Call” by Ann Cleeves, led to talk about the merits of the genre of police procedurals.

Books, says Rudden-Dube, are usually discussed over two weeks, with a rule of “no spoilers” early on for those who may not have finished reading. All titles are available in print, digital and audio formats. The group favors books that come with a minimum of gore – murders often take place “off screen,” she says.

Asked about why she feels the little group has “staying power,” Thompson said she thinks it has something to do with members’ “relationship to the Cape.” No one, she explains, is originally from the Cape; all gravitated here full-time in the past six or seven years. As relative “newcomers” without a longtime background of local community involvement, they’ve found a need to connect with others who are similarly situated, and this group’s friendliness and informality have seemed a perfect mix.

As a group, “it doesn’t feel new,” says Volkoff, and it offers, during this winter of continuing COVID-19 concerns, a way to spend some pleasant time with others.

The group welcomes new members, and meets from noon to 1 p.m. every Tuesday. Information: call Cotuit Library at 508-428-8141.

A project that started out of Centerville Library a few years ago to knit hats for a Walk for Alzheimer’s fundraiser led to the formation of a group at the library called Knitting for a Cause, according to Debi Swiderski, now the group’s facilitator.

The enterprise formed about five years ago as a group of volunteer knitters meeting weekly to create needed items for various charitable and nonprofit causes. It was “show up if you can,” says Swiderski, who currently helps guide the enterprise from project to project. The group has had as many as 15 knitters, but normally runs with a core of 6 to 10 regulars, meeting each Tuesday morning.

The original idea of knitting hats morphed into creative projects for other organizations, including clothing items and blankets for A Baby Center in Hyannis; tots’ clothing items for distribution out of HAC (Housing Assistance Corporation); lap robes for the Cancer Center at Cape Cod Hospital; and numerous other initiatives.

Volunteers, she said, “pick (items) they’re most comfortable knitting.”

Their most successful project to date, Swiderski recalls, was undertaken a few years ago for a former hospice center that was part of a pediatric cancer unit then run by HopeHealth on Cape Cod. The knitting group created more than 100 miniature sweaters for toy teddy bears, and the toys were distributed to young hospice patients by the cancer center, as well as given out in local crisis situations by the Barnstable Police Department and other first responders.

“We had the best time,” she says. “We chipped in and bought bears. … We lucked out.” They found a stash of sturdily built teddies that were on sale locally, then knit sweaters for each toy bear, letting imagination rule and creating numerous fancy designs full of “hearts and flounces.”

Another ongoing project the group calls “Homeless Afghans” originated from a knitting shop in Chatham, where volunteers knit strips “of a specific dimension” that can then be assembled into blankets for the homeless.

Community needs are continually surfacing, says Swiderski. “We just collect things” and pack them away for the next project. She adds that the group gathers weekly to knit and socialize, sharing craft ideas, patterns and what she calls “knitting therapy.” Knitting is great for developing mindfulness, she says. “Plus, you’ve produced something.”

“Without the library’s support, we would’ve disbanded by now,” she says, as the use of a meeting room there has been crucial. During COVID-19 closures, the group held two-hour meetings on Zoom, and in the warmer months were able to meet outside using facilities provided by a local community clubhouse.

Recent library meetups have been postponed for a few weeks due to the increase in COVID cases, but they hope to resume regular library gatherings soon.

Knitting for a Cause, which meets from 10 a.m. to noon each Tuesday, welcomes new members. Information: Call Centerville Library at 508-790-6220.