A resident at Brookdale Manlius has been knitting away since the fall, determined in her quest to stitch together 100 beanies for the homeless.
Maureen Berger, an 81-year-old stroke survivor from Bridgeport, said that not even her left hemiparesis can slow down her drive to give back to the local community.
Making use of an adaptive Sentro knitting machine that eases any strain, she got back into the routine of sewing in September, having worked with fabrics from time to time beforehand but never in a quantity comparable to her current goal.
Considering the scale of her goal to knit so many hats, Berger said the activity of knitting and getting the tension just right has still been tiring for her at times despite the convenience of the circular, crankable loom. Nonetheless, she finds the task muscle-building and thought-clearing, and she said the knowledge that the hats are going to a good cause gives her an extra push to press on.
Although she set out to get to 100 knitted hats by Christmas Day, Berger and others helping her were able to create a little over 80 between September and the first week of January. Insistent that she will not stop until the count reaches the century mark, Berger said she hopes to hit that target number by the end of this month.
Suited for men, women and children, the hats have been entwined with different designs and colors from light green to dark blue, and some have bobbles on top. Each beanie takes about an hour to make give or take, usually becoming a finished product once the side of the sewing machine reads that 125 rows have been joined together.
The hats, which Berger called fashionable “without a doubt,” are all being donated to either Booth House or the Syracuse Rescue Mission to help people at those locations brace for the cold days of winter.
“It feels pretty good to accomplish a goal and to know that these’ll be useful,” Berger said when talking about the knitted hats. “You lose a lot of heat from your head, so if we can keep it covered, the person will stay warm.”
Thankful for her support system, Berger has been assisted by a team of five friends, all of whom reside or work at the senior living facility on Flume Road in the village of Manlius.
“I think everybody has a duty to help somebody else out, but you can’t do it all alone,” she said.
Much of the yarn being threaded was donated by members of the surrounding community, and any extra yarn left over will go toward Berger’s next goal, which is to make lap blankets for area nursing homes and possibly mittens, scarves and shawls too.
Berger has been married for 60 years to her husband August, who also lives at Brookdale Manlius on the floor above hers.
In her life, Berger has worked at General Electric and the Mutual of New York insurance company.
