Purls of Wisdom Benefit Good Causes

Hats donated by Purls of Wisdom to patients at Northwest Cancer Specialists, June 2011

Aside from a slew of entertaining and educational activities, Rose Schnitzer Manor residents enjoy getting involved in the community through the fruits of their labors: the Purls of Wisdom Knitting Group has just donated 40 hats to patients at Northwest Cancer Specialists.

Purls of Wisdom gathers every Monday afternoon at the Goodman Dining Room. One Group member said, “Knitting is what we do here.”

Another member said, “We sit around, we chat, we tell jokes… We have a good time!” (At the last meeting, members discussed the movie “A Serious Man”, which had shown the previous night, as they knitted away at their next charity project.)

Purls for Good

Group leader Annette Gerard added, “You can knit for yourself or you can knit for charity projects. It’s a nice way to keep busy and accomplish something at the same time.”

The Group has supported folks at Jewish Family & Child Service, domestic violence survivors at Raphael House, prematurely-born babies at Providence St. Vincent’s Medical Center, clients at the White Bird Crisis Center, as well as residents at our very own Robison Jewish Health Center.

Purls Origins

As so many other inspirational projects, Purls of Wisdom combined the ideas and efforts of two people acting separately from each other. A Manor resident started a knitting group but passed away before it could really take off.

At about the same time, Carol Gladstein called Community Program Director Kathy Tipsord to offer her time to volunteer with a knitting group. “I’m a knitter,” Carol said. “I thought of [knitting] as a great way to volunteer and create a creative outlet for residents here.”

A librarian by profession, Carol added that the social aspect of the group is important as well. “Knitting brings people together. It’s a fantastic place for people to meet.”