Hats, gloves made with love
Jan D'Arc unloads the 2022 crocheted and knitted donations from Knit Wits volunteers to be picked up and distributed by local non-profit groups.
(From left) Judy Lewis and Patsy Neveau marvel at the years knitted creations, after they unloaded them from Knit Wits president Jan D'Arc's vehicle to be distributed to local nonprofits for Christmas gifts.
The Knit Wits knitting group gathered 1,696 different knitted goods Wednesday at Lake City Center to distribute as Christmas presents to groups like local head starts, Meals on Wheels and St. Vincent de Paul North Idaho.
“It’s amazing,” said Athena Kinsey from Lakeland Head Start. “Kids look forward to these knitted hats and gloves.”
Kinsey remembers receiving Knit Wits mittens as a parent when her children attended head start. This is the first year she will get to work with head start to see other children’s faces as they receive the donations.
The Knit Wits group takes requests from local nonprofits for things like mittens, scarves, blankets, slippers or sweaters. They knit those requests and compile them each month to donate everything in December.
“I’ll never forget a little boy from head start who picked a pair of bright purple mittens, and he just thought they were the perfect purple,” said Jan D’Arc, Knit Wits president. “He just loved that color so much.”
As president, D’Arc sorts and stores all of the Knit Wits’ yarn and yarn donations, and brings the bags to the Lake City Center every month for volunteers to pick their projects and yarns. She collects completed projects each month, so D’Arc spends a lot of time lugging yarn around.
But the Knit Wits knitting club will be losing its leader and moving to an interim location in 2023.
Club members feel like they’re staring down the end of their yarn.
“It’s a phenomenon that when you’re worried the end of your yarn will come too soon, you start knitting faster,” said Knit Wits volunteer Linda Jo Park, explaining how it’s like racing the end of a piece of yarn to the end of a project.
“I don’t want to carry bags of yarn anymore, so we’re having it at my house,” D’Arc said. “It’s time for someone young and spry.”
D’Arc has been president for the last 20 years, and 2023 will be her last year managing the group. The volunteer knitting group is waiting for someone internally to step up to manage the group, which has encountered several hurdles since the COVID-19 pandemic. Contributing members are down from 40 in 2019 to just 10 this year, and managing supply storage and inventory distribution is a challenge for D’Arc, 80.
“Nobody was willing to take on half of it,” D’Arc said. “It’s a lot of work. You need a lot of storage room.”
“This is pretty much an older group of ladies,” said Peggy Leupp, a volunteer crocheter.
The role D’Arc plays in Knit Wits is a large slipper to fill, and the donations mean a lot to the community.
The Knit Wits group is also an outlet for people who need to knit.
“I still want to keep knitting, and there’s only so many sweaters you can give to the people you know,” Park said. “It’s almost like magic is happening with your hands.”
The volunteer group has also been a way for members to connect.
“It’s groups like this where you might find knitting in common, but then you find friendship,” said Erin McSwain, a Knit Wits volunteer.
