Residents had an opportunity to sample a wide range of free educational programs on Leap Day, February 29, at C.H. Booth Library.

Called “Leap In & Learn Day,” the library described the event as “An extra day, an extra day to share, an extra day to learn.” The program which ran from 1 to 4:30 pm, offered 17 talks, demonstrations, and activities within five rooms at the library.

In the third floor Antiques & Collectibles Room, members of CT Woolcrafters demonstrated their craft and taught skills such as making small animals from wool. Club members showed the techniques of needle felting, knitting, and crocheting. The fiber arts group meets monthly at the library.

Club members Mary Furse and Nancy Gould were on hand. Furse used a barbed needle to repeatedly puncture a piece of wool, to make the wool become denser and form part of the anatomy of a tiny woolen animal. Slowly the components of the animals were formed, with the body parts adhering to each other as the result of repeated puncturing, known as needle felting, in which individual wool fibers become locked together.

Several hours of work are required to form a single tiny wool animal. “This is sculpture... It’s a form of sculpture,” Gould said. The crafting involved amounts to “a few thousand punctures before you get done,” Furse added.

At the chbMakers Corner on the second floor, Catherine Findorak and Terry Tortora of the library staff presented five activities. Their demonstrations included use of the library’s 3-D printer; how to convert VHS videotapes and records into digital media to preserve the older media content; and how to work with stickers, magnets, and buttons to promote a cause and make decorative items.

Findorak and Tortora also demonstrated the use of the library’s Cricut machine. Such machines are computerized plotters/die cutters that can be used for specialized printing, as well as cutting materials such as paper, card stock, felt, vinyl, fabric, matboard, leather, and basswood.

In the demonstration provided on February 29, participants were shown the mechanics of a basic Cricut project — creating an attractive bookmark. Such work involves design, cutting, and assembly.

The library has a wireless version of the Cricut machine, which allows the equipment to be controlled by a tablet computer. The library offers classes on how to use the device.

Findorak and Tortora also guided participants through creating a greeting card fitted with a light-emitting diode (LED) that is powered by a watch battery to illuminate the card.

Findorak showed the crafters how to manipulate strips of copper foil tape on the back of the card to create a basic electric circuit to transmit the battery’s voltage to the LED to light up the card. On her sample birthday card, the LED was positioned to be the “flame” flickering on a single candle atop a cupcake.

Other activities at the library that day included a program on investing; social media best practices; business planning; how to pay less for theater tickets; identifying financial scams; how to make “elevator pitches” to promote oneself; creating secure computer passwords; digital painting on an iPad; improving relationships through effective communications; meditation; and learning how to play chess.