POINTS TO PONDER; HOBBY KEEPING THEM IN STITCHES.

Byline: Paul O'Donoghue Staff Writer

NEWBURY PARK - NFL great Rosie Grier, oil rig workers, military pilots, doctors and a slew of others share a hobby that practitioners say enhances everything from love to patience, nimbleness and enjoyment of the Super Bowl.

The hobby is needlepoint, the creation of patterns and pictures using fabric and threads. It dates back hundreds of years but is currently enjoying a renaissance.

Ventura resident Artie Bauman was one of scores of ``stitchers'' who turned up Sunday for a special Super Bowl XXXIV sale that has been a tradition for about a decade at Weaver's Needle 'N Frame store, run by the Mulligan family.

``You can solve all the world's problems with stitching,'' said Bauman, who said she has been needlepointing for more than 30 years.

``You can sit and stitch and everything goes out of your mind. You just concentrate on your stitching. It makes you feel good.''

Following tradition, the doors opened for the once-a-year football sale at 7 a.m. and closed at 2 p.m., allowing folks time to get their supplies and get settled at home before the big game, said store manager Shannon Mulligan.

And about 15 people were already waiting at opening time for the sale, which featured 15 percent off just about everything in the store. The stock includes items ranging from needles and hand cream to books, threads, special weaving frames and patterns. The store also holds classes, said Mulligan.

``The die-hards were waiting for us to open the doors here,'' said Mulligan.

``We're open until 2 p.m. and that allows everyone to get their supplies and then for the rest of the day they can sit and stitch and watch the football.''

And sales were going just fine, said Mulligan, a trend since the store moved to its new location on Newbury Road near Ventu Park Road in May.

``It's been fabulous, beyond our expectations,'' said Mulligan, in between sharing advice and chit-chat with the customers.

``We're thrilled.''

Bauman and several other customers among the predominantly female patrons at the store were quick to dispel any preconception that the hobby is only for women, noting that Grier and many other men they personally know are needlepointers, including oil rig workers on the platforms off Ventura.

Others said doctors and surgeons practice the craft to keep their fingers nimble and the military teaches it to pilots to keep hand-eye coordination sharp and improve concentration. Increasing numbers of children are also becoming interested in the craft, they said.

John Williams, a Thousand Oaks resident who is a supervising engineer with Lockheed in El Segundo, wandered around the store, checking out items with his wife, Carol, a preschool teacher with the Conejo Valley Unified School District.

While he doesn't practice needlepoint, Williams, 59, said he likes to spend as much time as possible with his wife, whose interest has been growing in needlepoint for the past few years, inspired by an heirloom.

``I like to see her hobby. She's really interested in this stuff,'' said John, an avid hiker, runner, skier and licensed pilot.

``It's very interesting. It's not my hobby, but I like to help her pick stuff out, so I feel like I'm part of it.''

The Williamses carefully showed the heirloom, a one-foot-square piece of needlepoint crafted on linen by Carol's ancestor, 19-year-old Christanna Kerre, back in Scotland in 1832 before she emigrated to Nova Scotia.

They were looking for advice from store personnel on ways to mount and preserve the dun-colored piece that featured the date of its creation, a poem, a cabin flanked by flowers and Christanna's name.

Meanwhile, Moorpark resident and St. Louis Rams fan Robbin Botting said she was ready to go home and do some needlepoint while watching the game with her husband, a Titans fan.

``I love football,'' Botting said.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo: (1 -- color in Conejo edition only) Weaver's Needle 'N Frame in Newbury Park holds its annual Super Bowl sale on Sunday, continuing a tradition of about 10 years.

(2 -- color in Conejo edition only) Cathy Kalvelage of Newbury Park shops for needlepoint items on Super Sunday.

Lilly Barrett/Special to the Daily News