For Immediate Release
Knit-Wits Needed Year-Round
Oklahoma City—It’s time to dig out those knitting
needles and knit one, pearl two for a worthy cause. A group of knitters,
dubbed the Knit-Wits, are busy knitting handmade throws for Mercy
Hospice patients.
“We have new knitters and old knitters. We have a
young woman who brings her newborn baby and knits with us and a man who
has been crocheting since he was just a young fellow,” said Cheryl
Melton, co-founder of Oklahoma City’s Knit-Wits. “Not only do we all
love to knit, but we get to create handmade gifts for Mercy Hospice
patients.”
The third Friday of every month, the small group of
knitters gathers at The Gourmet Yarn Co. to create 7-by-9-inch
rectangles which in turn get pieced together as 28-by-36-inch throws.
Since the group’s inception in 2005, the Knit-Wits have made more than
1,000 handmade blanekts for Mercy Hospice patients.
“One lady just makes the rectangles, one likes to
put them together and some like to make the whole throw from start to
finish,” said Melton. “Other people clean out their yarn closets and
donate yarn which we are ever grateful for. You don’t have to knit to be
a Knit-Wit.”
What motivates a Knit-Wit varies among members. One
gal in the group had a mother who had been a Mercy Hospice patient, and
for her, it was a way to return kindness to others in similar
situations. For others, it’s an outlet for their need to knit.
“I had knitted and crocheted everything I possibly
could for myself and my family,” said Melton. “As knitters, we are a
very dedicated group. Several of our Knit-Wits just drop off their work.
”
Knitters are welcome to knit on their own, join the
monthly meetings, or do both. To join the Knit-Wits, call Melton at
(405) 840-1502, or Margaret Bauer, Knit-Wit co-founder and owner of The
Gourmet Yarn Co., at (405) 286-3737.
“It is such a joy to deliver these handmade gifts to
our patients and see their faces light up as they realize that someone
has taken the time to make something just for them,” said Courtney
Owens, Mercy at Home volunteer coordinator. “It may seem like a small
thing but these blankets and bears very often become cherished comfort
items for the hospice patient and keepsakes for the family.”
For more information about Mercy Hospice, call (405)
486-8600.
Press release dated: September 30, 2008
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