'A way to show my love.' Dover man crochets 500 scarves for charity

DOVER ‒ Bert Kohler estimates that he has crocheted about 500 scarves for the Scarf Project ― each one having the potential to give its recipient a hug.

The retired Gradall industrial engineer can make a scarf in four to five hours, producing one about every other day. He crafts them while watching the news, baseball or football, but not basketball. There's too much action.

Kohler, a 91-year-old cancer survivor, suffers from numbness in his fingers and feet caused by chemotherapy.

Scarf Project:Women knit, crochet and collect scarves to be offered freely

"I've done it for therapy in my hands, really," he said. "They're just not right. Thank the Lord, I can grip the yarn and go. I just feel it's a way to show my love and sharing with my neighbors, doing things that God would want you to do."

He's also color blind.

"I've got everything against me and I don't know how I do it," Kohler said.

His mother taught him to crochet to keep him occupied while he recovered from pneumonia as a high school sophomore.

"I can't read a pattern. But I can copy anything that's made," Kohler said.

Why does Bert Kohler keep crocheting?

He started using his crocheting skills during the 23 years he and wife Phyllis wintered in Florida. He made prayer shawls for those who were sick or hurting in other ways, a practice he continues today. Each takes 22 to 24 hours to produce.

When Phyllis took the prayer shawls to their Lutheran church in Florida, she said "Anonymous" made them. She recalled how people remarked that the woman who was making the shawls should teach the skill to others.

"I finally admitted it after six or seven years," Bert said.

"For a long time, they didn't believe that it was a man doing it," Phyllis said. "Not many people can believe a former Marine that's your age ... crochets. He's a kidder. He jokes a lot. They'd look at me and say, 'Is he telling the truth?'"

For Bert, the scarves and prayer shawls are the continuation of his lifelong volunteer work.

While living part time in Florida, he worked with Habitat for Humanity. He organized the fundraising and construction of a house sponsored by Thrivent. Working with 13 churches spread across five counties, he raised money, organized volunteers and scheduled meal service.

He's also served as a church council member and president, homeowners' association treasurer and president, a museum docent and historian, and Jaycees member.

Toni Kaltenbaugh: 'An amazing individual.'

Scarf Project founder and coordinator Toni Kaltenbaugh called Kohler "real special" and "an amazing individual." She said his work is "just gorgeous."

The scarves he made were among more than 2,000 distributed on Nov. 18 by the Scarf Project, which began in New Philadelphia.

"The weather was perfect the day the scarves were hung," Kaltenbaugh said in a prepared statement. "It was cold outside and there was even a little snow. There was just enough snow to remind individuals that a warm scarf, possibly a hat and some mittens or gloves, would be nice to have."

The scarves, along with hats, mittens and gloves, were hung in Tuscarawas, Stark, Guernsey and Cuyahoga counties.

"The majority of them were anonymously taken by individuals needing a little hug from a scarf," Kaltenbaugh said. "Those that weren't taken that day were distributed through a variety of other organizations. We never carry scarves over to the next year. They are all given out every year, and none are ever sold."

Scarves were also distributed at two Scarf Project branch locations in Canada, one in New York, and one in Utah around the same time, according to Kaltenbaugh. Two branches in Australia will distribute their scarves six months from now because that is when they have their winter.

The creation of the scarves and other warm items helps in more ways than just keeping people warm.

"It helps individuals have a way to help others in a positive nature," Kaltenbaugh said. "A 97-year-old lady crochets a hat a day. There are groups of individuals in nursing homes that get together regularly and knit or crochet scarves and hats. Yarn is provided to all these individuals who in turn create the beautiful handcrafted items that are shared with those who can use a little help stretching their budgets."

The Scarf Project runs on donations. The yarn is donated and given to individuals who knit or crochet. Yarn donations, or new and warm scarves, hats, mittens or gloves can be dropped off on the back porch of Kaltenbaugh's house at 730 Tuscarawas Ave. NW, New Philadelphia. Call 330-432-1930 for the locations to drop off in Guernsey and Stark counties, or to learn more about the organization.

Reach Nancy at 330-364-8402 or nancy.molnar@timesreporter.com.

On Twitter: @nmolnarTR

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Bert Kohler crochets hundreds of scarves for Scarf Project