Every week, the group of women at Edgemere, a senior residential community in Dallas, gather around a long table for a little camaraderie and creativity.
"You know, you have a problem," Mary Ann Stover said. "If you come in here and knit, you don't think about your problems."
The women are in a knitting group called the 'Knit Wits.'
"Well, I don't like the name. I have to be honest. I never liked the name Knit Wits," Stover said laughing. "There's no men in the group, but we sure would like to have a couple come in!"
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Stover is one of the newer members and the group's co-chair.
"When I moved here I told my daughter, who is a pediatric cardiologist, I said, 'I have no purpose. I'm not doing anything that's important,'" Stover said. "And she got me hooked up with this lady to make these hats and that was important to me."
The group has been knitting hats for infant cardiology patients at Children's Health.
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"Wanting to be of some value as we get older," Peg Brown said as she knit a tiny cap. "And it's something that's close to everybody's heart; babies."
The Knit Wits make up to 20 hats every 2 weeks. Brown designs the seasonal patterns for the group to follow. They're working on holiday hats right now.
"These are babies coming in, new babies, with heart problems," Brown said. "So when I knit them, I think of all the parents and how lucky we are to have healthy children, and we wish them the best."
The Edgemere Knit Wits started in 2001.
"When we started this group we were making helmet liners for the troops that were in Afghanistan," said Marianne Mead. She was in her 80s then. Today Mead is 102 years old and still knitting. "Be creative, being busy, and having something good to think about."
Last year another war, the one in Ukraine, led to another project.
"I heard about refugees from Ukraine at an orphanage in Romania," Pat Wessendorff said. "They needed caps, and sweaters, and scarves; and I thought, that's it!"
The group knit and crocheted items to send overseas.
"It makes sense to do something that you can give back," Wessendorff said. "I think it warms our own hearts to do it."
