The Community Center’s knitters have a reputation for helping those in need.

Carol Cragin, coordinator of the group, said: “Most knitters don’t just knit for themselves, they always have something for someone else going on the needle.”

This time, hospice is benefiting from the group's hard work. Center secretary Jen Field explained, "My aunt, Lucy Cressey, sent me a Facebook post that hospice needed lap blankets.” Knowing how kind-hearted the knitters are, Field passed the news along to them. Within a month, 20 lap blankets had been knit or crocheted and were ready for hospice.

The blankets measure 36” by 42" and help keep patients while seated. “Not only do they provide warmth but keeping a lap covered protects a patient’s dignity if they are in a johnny," Cragin said. She estimated volunteers spent as many as 20 hours knitting each blanket.

A few were sent to Wisconsin, which had issued the Facebook request. The rest are heading to MaineHealth Care At Home, which serves patients in Lincoln County.

Field and Cragin said the Center’s knitting group takes on volunteer projects throughout the year. Knitters are currently working on hats and blankets for premature infants at the Barbara Bush Children’s Center and have recently started knitting red hats to go to newborns in February as part of the Heart Association’s Little Hats, Big Hearts project to raise awareness for children born with heart issues. Knitters also work on their own projects, and scarves for the Community Center’s boutique.

While the knitters will accept some donations of yarn, they prefer to buy yarns so the quality is consistent. They have raised $132 toward yarns for their charitable projects. To donate or knit, call the Center at 633-9876.