Three different ladies, with three different causes, have been knitting and crocheting up a storm. Over 300 little hats will be making their way from Fernie to babies and children in need, just in time for Christmas.
While Bunny Samuelson, Bev Inglis, and Candy Glover have all been creating similar hats, each woman has her own reasons.
Avid knitter Candy Glover creates tiny toques for babies that are born at the hospital right here in Fernie. “I like to knit and it’s just something else to knit,” she commented. “It uses up my scraps and it keeps my hands busy.”
It was after fellow knitter Bunny Samuelson saw some of Glover’s little creations that she was inspired to pick up her own knitting needles for a cause. “I just think if there’s maybe a newborn who’s down on his luck a little, give him a hat,” said Bunny.
With Candy taking care of the Elk Valley newborns, Bunny decided to take on a different area. Her daughter works in Whitehorse, Yukon, and Bunny thought why not help out children there.
“They get over 400 babies a year in Whitehorse,” she explained. “The population is over 22,000 and then they also do the surrounding area.”
It was for personal reasons that got Bev Inglis involved in the hat craze. Inglis crochets hats for Kids for Cancer that are distributed at the Calgary hospital.
“My granddaughter has cancer and she goes to the hospital in Calgary for treatment,” said Inglis. “I just thought it would be a nice way to give back.”
Inglis has made roughly 65 caps since she got started this summer. She remarked, “You see what those kids go through, and it brings a smile to their faces. That’s all you need. It makes you feel good.”
With Inglis’ 65 hats, Glover’s 30, and Samuelson’s whopping 226 toques, the Fernie women will be keeping a lot of newborns and children warm this Christmas.