Members of the Valley Shore YMCA have found a way to turn their passion for knitting (and chatting) into a way to help less fortunate families on the Shoreline stay warm for the winter. A group of women, called Joy’s Knit Wits, meet on Monday mornings at the YMCA after exercise classes to spend an hour together knitting, chatting, and keeping the YMCA staff in line. The group’s leader, Joy Hanes, had an inspiration in the Spring to use up bags of accumulated yarn and created the very popular “Knit-a-long” effort.

“We had collected so much extra yarn over the years that we didn’t want to waste and it occurred to me that many more people enjoy knitting than meet with our group,” says Hanes. “So, we set up a couple of baskets in the YMCA lobby with extra yarn and needles and some signs that asked people to pick up a project-in-progress and work on it while they waited in the lobby. Our hope was that we could use up our extra yarn, finish many of our incomplete projects, and ultimately, give the clothing to a needy cause.” The project was an instant hit! Since May, you could find many members, moms and grandparents knitting while their children swam or while they waited for a spouse to finish up their work out, or who just wanted to knit along for a few minutes.

On Monday, September 28, the group turned over 13 hats, 24 scarves, 20 cowls, and many other items to the Westbrook Social Service department and to Westbrook Youth and Family Services, two organizations that provide direct service to local residents. “We were thrilled to receive the call from the YMCA,” says Jacqueline Ward, Director of Westbrook Youth and Family Services. “There is a tremendous need in our community for clothing during the winter months and the fact that these beautiful items are handmade will be a special treat for the recipients.” The project is ongoing for anyone interested in participating.