UUs Offer Knitting Workshops To Provide Service To The Community

Members of the Knitting Ministry at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Danbury gather together every other Tuesday to practice the timeless art of knitting. They meet in a social setting with a mission beyond purely creating hand-knit items. The ministry also fulfills the higher purpose of providing service to the community.

Over the past few months, the members of the ministry have knitted 100 warm, winter hats to donate to the Dorothy Day Hospitality House and other Danbury area charitable organizations. They delivered the hats on the day of a big snowstorm and let the hospitality house guests choose from a bag of colorful selections. The hospitality house continues to need men’s winter coats and gloves.

“I think both the guests at Dorothy Day and the volunteers were in a particularly good mood for having braved the first real snow storm of the season,” said Brad Greene of Newtown, a member of the UUCD congregation who was volunteering at the hospitality house that day. “The bag of colorful hats seemed to brighten the mood even more. There was no fanfare to the distribution of the hats. People were just drawn to all the colors in the bag — some sheepishly asking if it was okay if they took one.

“I particularly remember the young, pregnant mom who took a hat for each of her kids and named each as she was picking out the hats, or the two guys who searched the bag for bold, solid colors and put them on right out of the bag before they went back out into the weather. It was great to watch the excited reactions,” Mr Greene said.

Knitting ministry member Darice Peruch of Newtown said she enjoys working with her hands and the feel of the yarn. “The women are wonderful to be with, and we inspire each other’s creativity,” Ms Peruch said. “We all enjoy giving the fruits of our labor. It is not labor really to me — it is wonderful fun, another creative outlet that I can take with me and do while sitting in my car. I love combining color and creating beautiful items.”

In addition to hats, ministry members have knit shawls, scarves, and blankets and contributed them to a variety of nonprofit organizations, including the Danbury Hospital Newborn Intensive Care Unit, Ann’s Place, an area resource for people diagnosed with cancer, and to congregation members and friends who have serious illnesses or are celebrating milestones. Last year they gave a shawl to a congregation member who was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, and he used it while reading the Old Testament. They also gave a blanket to mark the joyous occasion of the birth of a baby son to the church pianist.

“The Knitting Ministry symbolizes what is good and hopeful about religious community at several levels,” said the Rev Linda Hansen, who lives in Sandy Hook. “It gets a small group of people together to do something they enjoy; they get to know one another better and even help one another improve their knitting. And they dedicate some of their work, such as the 100 hats this year, to help others in the larger community. The Knitting Ministry is a wonderful example of our seventh Unitarian Universalist principle of living out our respect for the interdependent web of which we’re all a part.”

Although most of the members are women, men are always welcome. The late Wayne Raulerson, a retired computer specialist from Danbury, was an avid member. He taught himself how to knit and went on to create custom Argyle sweaters that he offered at the UUCD annual Goods and Services Auction.

Charlotte Warren of Newtown founded the Knitting Ministry two years ago. Ms Warren said she got the idea to form the knitting ministry after hearing about a similar group in Portsmouth, N.H., from her daughter. “We thought it was a great idea,” she said. “We decided to call it a ‘ministry,’ rather than a group or a circle because we wanted to give away what we knit.” She has been knitting ever since she was a teenager, 50 years ago. She finds knitting to be relaxing and satisfying and readily shares her love of the craft with anyone who is interested. She recently taught two Newtown teenagers how to knit.

The Knitting Ministry meets every other Tuesday at members’ homes. Residents of Newtown, Danbury, Bethel, Ridgefield, Southbury, and New Milford are part of the group. Other interested residents of all ages are invited to join.

The ministry will offer knitting workshops on two upcoming Saturdays, March 6 and 13, from 10 am to noon, for those who would like to learn to knit or improve their skill. Bring No. 8 or 10 needles, either bamboo or plastic, and yarn to make a scarf. Preregistration is required. Call the church office at 798-1994 and leave your name and number.