Heartfelt Knitters Gather and Give
The Heartfelt Knitters gather monthly to generously share their talents and friendship
When my first daughter was born, my aunt knitted a darling pink cap for her. Putting that on her small, precious head felt like a warm hug from my aunt. Handmade gifts carry a significance that purchased items, however perfect and loved they may be, just can’t touch.
My daughter in her sweet pink baby hat.
Imagine now a hospital filled with newborns, each receiving a hand-knit cap. And not from a doting great aunt, but from a perfect stranger. Someone who wants to share warmth, compassion, and love.
Every month, the Heartfelt Knitters of Folsom, a group of ten to fifteen women from the local community, gather for lunch and a knitting session at Prairie City Landing. Together, they knit hats for newborns at Kaiser Medical Center in Roseville. Each hat takes between two and three hours to create; no two are alike. Joan, a resident of Prairie City Landing and longtime organizer of the group of knitters, estimates they donate between 40 and 50 hats to the hospital each month.
For autumn, the group has been knitting little pumpkin hats!
Joan has been knitting since she was a child. Although her mother preferred crocheting, she taught Joan her first stitches. Joan remembers a neighbor also stepping in to help Joan with her craft. Throughout her life, Joan has kept her hands busy and mind calmer by looping yarn with two needles. In so doing, she brings warmth and compassion to the grateful recipients of her gifts.
The Heartfelt Knitters have a long history of giving. In 2002, Leal Thompson, a member of a senior fitness class in El Dorado Hills, invited others to join her to “do some crafts.” At that first meeting, Leal taught the women how to knit caps for newborns. The women gathered were enamored. “They were awfully cute and easy and fast. In fact, they were irresistible,” they said.
When Leal had them all hooked, she planted the seed of her dream. She asked the group if they thought they could knit hats for every infant born at Mercy Hospital in Folsom. The group laughed at the idea, calling it impossible to knit so many caps. Yet, they kept meeting and knitting.
By 2010, Leal and her team, including Joan, who had organized a group of women in Folsom, had created a non-profit organization known as the Mad Hatters. The only rule: hats were never to be sold. They were always gifts. Over time, they donated thousands of hats to newborns made by the more than 500 members spread across 19 groups in three states.
Just a few of the thousands of colorful baby hats Joan and her group have knitted
Joan’s Folsom group initially met in her house, and when the group became too big for that location, they gathered at a church, restaurants, or the Elks Lodge. Today, they meet at Joan’s home at Prairie City Landing. Joan, four other residents, and about ten women in the Folsom community share a lunch “…and cookies, always cookies!” compliments of Prairie City Landing each month. They visit, they eat, they knit, and they give.
When the Heartfelt Knitters meet, they are knitting more than yarn. They are weaving social connections with each other. They are creating the social fabric of a community that cares for its most vulnerable citizens—its infants. Through their generosity and sharing their talent, they remind us of the connection and care that make this world a beautiful place.
Researchers know that Joan is doing amazing things not just for her community, but for her well-being. Connection and Purpose are two critical elements for a good life. Ready for more? Explore our Guide about Independent Living.
