Moms Honored by Charity Knitalong

Millions of mothers will receive all kinds of gifts and recognition today, but local knitters are honoring their mothers by giving to someone else.

“The Knitsters” -- a group of women from Richland, West Deer and Hampton townships and Pittsburgh -- created the Honor Mom Charity Knitalong to get knitters and crocheters to create items to donate to charities.

The idea grew out of an event that well-known Canadian knitting expert and author Stephanie Pearl-McPhee created -- the Knitting Olympics.

The Knitting Olympics called for knitters around the world to create something that was a challenge and to devote the time period of the Olympics to complete the project.

Diane Adams, one of the Knitsters, decided to continue the tradition of devoting the first two weeks in February to special projects, but this year her projects would be for charity.

“Then we started discussing the idea and one of us suggested doing something the first two weeks of May to honor our own mothers,” she said. “It just kind of grew.”

The idea behind the Honor Mom Charity Knitalong is for knitters and crocheters to devote their time during the first two weeks of May to make items to donate to charities of their choice in honor of their mothers.

Charity knitting is nothing new. Back during World War II, many women would knit socks and sweater vests for soldiers overseas and the tradition continues today with numerous charity organizations around the world.

At the recent Pittsburgh Knitting Festival in Cranberry, attendees could sit and make squares for afghans at a large area devoted to charity knitting.

The Knitsters quickly jumped on board with the Honor Mom idea.

“Of course, we all agreed because we frequently knit and crochet for charity, as individuals or a few of us or the whole group at one time,” said Adams.

In the past, The Knitsters made lovies (small blankets) for the orphans from Haiti, squares for afghans, and scarves for North Hills Community Outreach, just to name a few. 

“One of the women in our group always says that while you are knitting, you are thinking about that person,” said Adams. “That is part of it, thinking of our mothers and thinking of the person we are making it for, even though we don’t know them, we are making it with love.”

Once they decided to do the Knitalong, the group's members reached out to local yarn shops and even Pearl-McPhee to ask for assistance in getting the word out. No one replied.

They decided to use social media by creating a Facebook page and email and word-of-mouth to enlist other knitters. They also reached out through a popular knitting site on the Internet, Ravelry.

“We hoped to find as many possible knitters and crocheters who would join us,” said Adams.

Betty Alchier heard about the event through a friend and decided to participate.

“I need something to jumpstart my knitting anyways so this is perfect,” said Alchier, of Richland.

Alchier was going to search online for a pattern to make a hat for a soldier. “The soldiers give so much to us without even knowing us. I wanted to give something back.”

Although Alchier worried she wouldn’t complete her project within the first two weeks of May, the Knitsters told her she didn't have to face a time constraint.

“I also liked that I chose the charity of my own choice,” said Alchier.

Abby Huber works at the where she also participates in the library's . Diane Illis from the library had heard about the knitalong and told the group. Huber decided to make a chemo hat and found a pattern on the Internet.

“I think this is a great idea,” she said, “I made scarves in the past for charity and this just seemed like a way to give back again.”

Huber said she will honor her mother, Karen Huber, with whom she lives in Adams Township, by making the cap.

“She doesn’t knit and is always complimenting me on what I make. She will love the idea.”

Tess Riesmeyer will honor her late mother, Roseann Jackman, who lived in Richland Township.  Although Riesmeyer now lives in Pittsburgh, she considers the her "home" library because she grew up in Richland and it was her mother's favorite.

Like Huber, she is a member of the Knit Lit group and learned of the charity project from Illis.

"I've already made two hats today," she said on May 1. "My mother had cancer for seven years and she was the best mother in the world. As soon as I heard about this event, I knew that I had to participate."

Adams said they aren’t sure how many knitters overall are participating because many, Alchier and Huber among them, haven’t signed up on their Facebook or Ravelry group pages. They estimate about 50 participants so far.

“We have a woman from Germany who signed up and one from Utah,” she said, “This is very exciting for us just to honor our own mothers and to get others involved in charity.”