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The gift of warmth
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| H&N photo by Andrew Mariman Katherine Crandall gives out hand-knitted scarves to residents at Eldorado Heights Assisted Living Community Friday. |
Katherine Crandall knits scarves for retirement home residents
By TY BEAVER
H&N Staff Writer
Katherine Crandall made scarves to give away.
She went to a retirement home to hand them out and the residents gave her a curious look.
Then she told them she was giving them away ... for free.
“Oh, well then I’ll take two,” the Running Y Ranch resident recalled them saying.
Yearly tradition
Crandall moved to the Klamath Basin about four years ago and uses her experienced knitting fingers to create scarves for the elderly in a tradition she’s held to for years.
It was several years ago when Crandall was living in La Quinta, Calif., that she began applying her pastime to a broader cause. A friend sent a box full of yarn to her and Crandall decided to use it to make scarves for a local retirement home.
Crandall’s grandmother taught her how to knit at the age of 7 and she’s stuck with it ever since. It keeps her hands busy and allows her to always be doing something, such as when she and her husband, a retired golf professional, are watching television.
“I sit and watch and just knit,” she said.
She’s continued the tradition to this day. She calls around and chooses one retirement home per year to provide scarves to. This year, Eldorado Heights Assisted Living Community will receive 65 scarves from Crandall, the most she’s given at once.
Year-round effort
While she starts contacting homes in August about how many residents they have, Crandall said she makes the scarves year-round and stores them, requiring her to only make another five or so before residents receive them.
All the scarves are unique, made with different types of yarn and often in multiple colors.
Some have pockets crafted into the ends of them, providing a place for elderly residents to place their room keys or other things they’ll need away from their rooms.
Crandall said it’s great to see the reaction from residents when they receive the scarves, as they know it’s not just a gift, but a gift that was made especially for them.
“They all have big smiles on their faces,” she said.
Keeping warm
Louise Cousins, administrator of Eldorado Heights, said the residents can always use things to keep warm, such as blankets and scarves. The residents also appreciate the gesture of receiving something made with them in mind.
Audry Carnes, a 93-year-old resident of Eldorado Heights, picked a vividly colored scarf when Crandall approached her Friday. Two of her siblings died around Christmas last year, though she said the home staff have made this a better holiday season, as did Crandall’s gift.
“It’s so excellent,” she said.
Crandall plans to continue knitting for some time but has already passed her pastime onto one granddaughter, who proceeded to use the talent to make scarves for her nieces and nephews one year for Christmas.
She went to a retirement home to hand them out and the residents gave her a curious look.
Then she told them she was giving them away ... for free.
“Oh, well then I’ll take two,” the Running Y Ranch resident recalled them saying.
Yearly tradition
Crandall moved to the Klamath Basin about four years ago and uses her experienced knitting fingers to create scarves for the elderly in a tradition she’s held to for years.
It was several years ago when Crandall was living in La Quinta, Calif., that she began applying her pastime to a broader cause. A friend sent a box full of yarn to her and Crandall decided to use it to make scarves for a local retirement home.
Crandall’s grandmother taught her how to knit at the age of 7 and she’s stuck with it ever since. It keeps her hands busy and allows her to always be doing something, such as when she and her husband, a retired golf professional, are watching television.
“I sit and watch and just knit,” she said.
She’s continued the tradition to this day. She calls around and chooses one retirement home per year to provide scarves to. This year, Eldorado Heights Assisted Living Community will receive 65 scarves from Crandall, the most she’s given at once.
Year-round effort
While she starts contacting homes in August about how many residents they have, Crandall said she makes the scarves year-round and stores them, requiring her to only make another five or so before residents receive them.
All the scarves are unique, made with different types of yarn and often in multiple colors.
Some have pockets crafted into the ends of them, providing a place for elderly residents to place their room keys or other things they’ll need away from their rooms.
Crandall said it’s great to see the reaction from residents when they receive the scarves, as they know it’s not just a gift, but a gift that was made especially for them.
“They all have big smiles on their faces,” she said.
Keeping warm
Louise Cousins, administrator of Eldorado Heights, said the residents can always use things to keep warm, such as blankets and scarves. The residents also appreciate the gesture of receiving something made with them in mind.
Audry Carnes, a 93-year-old resident of Eldorado Heights, picked a vividly colored scarf when Crandall approached her Friday. Two of her siblings died around Christmas last year, though she said the home staff have made this a better holiday season, as did Crandall’s gift.
“It’s so excellent,” she said.
Crandall plans to continue knitting for some time but has already passed her pastime onto one granddaughter, who proceeded to use the talent to make scarves for her nieces and nephews one year for Christmas.
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Michele wrote on Dec 23, 2008 8:06 AM: