When JoCo knitters gather, they focus on making a specific item for local nonprofits
The outdoor thermometer reading said summer. The wall calendar said fall. The busy hands at the tables said winter.
There really is no season for the Caring Hands Knitting Group. No matter the time of year, the group settles around tables from 1 to 3 p.m. every Tuesday in the Roeland Park Community Center.
And they make warm hats for people they will never meet.
The group is a part of the Johnson County Park & Recreation District 50 Plus programming. No one takes attendance, nor is registration or a fee required.
Knitters simply drop in to create.
All types of talents are welcomed. If someone comes and doesn’t know how to knit, the group’s members happily teach them. The hats are created in various ways: by knitting, by crocheting, by using a loom or by cro-knitting, a method that combines crocheting and knitting.
Yarn is donated and a standard pattern is followed. It is important that the hats are a simple style, without pom-poms, so they can be easily folded into pockets.
Only hats — for both children and adults — are made, then distributed to about 20 area nonprofits. A recent tally showed that the group made 743 hats from April through September.
“This is easy to do,” said Judy Frazier of Overland Park. “It’s a simple pattern. It’s nice that you do it for someone else. It’s calming.”
If someone comes and doesn’t know anyone, the group’s members easily become friends. After all, almost everyone in the group initially came not knowing anyone else.
The group is currently about 30 strong, and members come from as far away as Gardner and as close as Mission.
The community center room is filled each week with lively conversations. On a particular Tuesday this fall, the talk included the romance of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, PBS programming on Sunday evenings and where to get bamboo knitting needles.
“We could knit at home, but we like the conversation,” said Elaine Howell of Leawood. She sought out the group more than two years ago.
“I liked it because it was community oriented,” Howell said. “I was retired, so what could I do?”
For most, the knitting goes on even after the meeting.
They knit in their cars waiting for family members to finish shopping. Or, often, in front of a television.
“I’m not good at sitting still,” said Linda Lounsberry of Lenexa. She’s been knitting for decades, but only joined Caring Hands last January. When Lounsberry lived in Iowa, she knitted baby hats.
“I like doing it and giving it away,” she said.
Lounsberry said she makes between four to seven hats a week. In the past 4½ months, she knitted 77 hats.
Like many others in the group, Jan Hudzicki of Mission makes other items using different methods. Right now she is using thread to tat bookmarks for her Bible study group.
She likes the portability of her crafts.
“I can do this everywhere,” said Hudzicki, who recently retired. “I am a bit of a homebody. I need to get out of the house.”
And there are those who help even if they aren’t at the community center on Tuesdays. In fact, the park and recreation district will get yarn, materials, patterns to those who prefer to create a home. The district staff will even pick up completed hats.
The Caring Hands Knitting Group meets from 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesdays at the Roeland Park Community Center, 4850 Rosewood Drive, Roeland Park. For information about the group or to donate yarn, go here or contact Melissa Bribiesca, 50 Plus recreation coordinator, at 913-826-3166 .
