Charity knits Ela Township group together

Linda Perkins thought she may have to give up her love for crocheting once she made hats, scarves and mittens enough for all her relatives.

"My family members can only take so many more crocheted items and I have a closet full of yarn," said the 62-year-old Lake Zurich resident.

Perkins learned to crochet from her mother and grandmother and has been doing it since she was 15 years old. She wielded her needles with renewed gusto after joining Ela Township's new charity knit and crochet group.

"It just hit me right away that this is what I wanted to do," Perkins said. "I thought what a nice thing to come together and do this to give somebody to enjoy it. The first week I was here, I taught two kids to crochet. Maybe I'll learn how to knit."

The group of up to 30 women and some children weave together twice a month at the Ela Township Community Center in Lake Zurich. Since the summer, the group has made more than 200 woolen scarves, caps, blankets, mittens, booties and bears.

The items will be distributed among area nonprofit groups serving children and families in need Wednesday.

Charity knitting isn't a new concept. American women took up knitting as a goodwill effort during the Revolutionary War, Civil War and World Wars I and II to keep soldiers warm. Many Chicago-area knitting guilds do charity work serving hospitals and homeless shelters.

Yet Ela Township's project focuses beyond charity. It is also meant to be therapeutic for the participants, said Susan Kostner, the township's clinical social worker who started the program.

"It's not therapy, but there is a therapeutic value to it of just being together and being supportive of one another," Kostner said. "It's giving back to the community and you feel worthwhile and productive, and you have a sense of community."

That's what attracted Marlene Miller of Lake Zurich, a 41-year-old stay-at-home mom, despite having no previous knowledge of knitting or crocheting.

"I love it because for seven years all I do is stay home and watch the kids," she said. "So this is like an outlet for me to be with other people aside from doing children's activities. I've always wanted to learn how to knit and crochet."

Pat Plautz, 67, of Deer Park never thought she would pick up knitting needles ever again after quitting at age 14. But when she did, it came back to her like riding a bicycle, she said.

"I love the idea of charity because you cannot use more than maybe two scarves and one or two hats," she said. "That's why I gave it up. I want to make a hat and some gloves that fit me, so you benefit your own self and help others."