Edina Knitters Churn Out Hundreds of Items for Donation

A group of dedicated knitters at the Edina Senior Center churned out nearly 600 articles of clothing in 2012 to donate to needy Hennepin County residents.

Sue Weigle, director at the Edina Senior Center, said the group of roughly 25 dedicated knitters come to the center to pick up donated yarn, then either work with it at home or alongside others during the Center's Needle Talk Group at 1 p.m. on Thursdays.

In a post on Edina's Parks & Recreation blog, Weigle said it was actually unclear whether their donations would come in this year due to the economy. In the past, those yarn donations typically came from local department stores.

"With changes in the economy and store policies, supplies could no longer be donated to us," Weigle wrote. "We weren’t sure what to do. We started advertising in our monthly newsletter for folks to bring in yarn they no longer needed. We chose the slogan “Got Yarn?” Much to our amazement, we have been showered with boxes and bags of colorful yarn, needles and patterns!"

In 2012, the knitters generated a staggering 580 articles of clothing to donate through the Warm Hands, Warm Heads and Warm Heart Program. The final count included the following:

• Hats: 315
• Mittens (pairs): 141
• Scarves: 89
• Slippers (pairs): 19
• Ear warmers: 9
• Sweaters: 7

To learn more about the group, check out the rest of Sue's post. And be sure to peruse the litany of official City of Edina blogs online while you're at it.

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