Every Tuesday morning, the “Busy Needles” club at La Costa Glen Carlsbad gathers for about an hour to knit baby caps for newborns, caps and scarves for cancer patients, and afghan blankets for our troops overseas. Roughly 12-15 knitters gather each week to knit items for Tri City Hospital, Encinitas Hospital and La Jolla Veterans Hospital. The group donated more than 2,000 baby caps to Tri City alone last year.
Joan Widmer, a resident of La Costa Glen, started the Busy Needles club when she moved to the continuing care retirement community in 2004. Since then, the club has grown to 15 residents who knit everything from baby blankets for newborns in North County hospitals to red scarves for heart patients to afghans for military personnel stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The group even knit blankets for victims of San Diego’s devastating wildfire in 2007.
Lynn Straub, 96, organizes the knitting and distribution of the baby caps. She estimates that 2,000 baby caps were donated to local hospitals in 2008. One resident, Anne Posovsky, knits 20-25 baby caps herself each week!
“We have a great time getting together each week,” Lynn said. “We really enjoy doing what we can for moms with new babies, our troops overseas or for people who may be struggling with their health.”