For over twenty years, a colorful collective of ladies residing at a senior living community in Dallas have crafted thousands of hand-knit items, bringing warmth and support to children both in Texas and overseas.
And, with sass and swing, they call themselves the Knit Wits.
Every Friday, they gather around a long table with yarn and knitting needles to lend a hand from their home at Edgemere—and their latest project is a collaboration with Children’s Health in Dallas to create homemade caps for infants facing heart problems.
Knit Wits member Mary Ann Stover got the idea while talking with her daughter, a cardiologist at the hospital, and for the past year, the group has sent dozens of beanies for the babies.
“The caps are themed around the holidays,” Stover says, with designs evoking autumn, Thanksgiving, Christmas, the Fourth of July, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, and Spring. (See the video at the bottom…)
“They have become a colorful symbol of hope and joy for the center’s littlest patients and their families,” said Betsy Beall, the hospital’s child life specialist.
The mini hats also can play a role in fostering the bond between infants and caregivers, preserving the scent of the adult next to baby’s skin.
“Caregivers are able to wear the hat on their body to transfer their scent before placing the hat back on the baby, encouraging bonding and easing the infant’s stress.”
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Beall said the collaboration has had an “overwhelmingly positive impact” on the center’s infant population, noting one example of a tiny patient who’d been treated for nearly a year.
Throughout the infant’s admission, many holidays were celebrated, but often the infant was too critical to be dressed up for photos the family had planned. Thanks to the generosity of the Knit Wits, the infant hat provided the perfect festive touch.
“When we started this group we were making helmet liners for the troops that were in Afghanistan,” Marianne Mead told NBC’s KXAS-TV this week. She was in her 80s then. Today, she’s 102 years old and still knitting. “Being creative, being busy, and having something good to think about.”
The Knit Wits also sent cuddly knit dolls to orphans from Ukraine—interlacing love with service, one yarn loop at a time.
The executive director of their Edgemere home said, “They’ve proven that a simple act of kindness can make such a difference in the lives of those facing challenging circumstances.”
LOOK: Hospital Crochets ‘Mr. Rogers’ Sweaters for All the Newborns in Honor of World Kindness Day
Watch a sweet video from local NBC news coverage…
WARM SOME HEARTS By Sharing the Inspiration With Friends on Social Media…