Brotherly Love: KnitKnights Stitch For Charity In Montco

By Jessica Dean

CONSHOHOCKEN, P.A., (CBS) -- For the last ten years, Monday nights are meaningful nights at the Conshohocken Free Library in Montgomery County. That's where a tight-knit team of volunteers are giving their all to charity. Their latest project is for cancer patients, an ingenious gift that will make many of those patients feel whole.

Meet the KnitKnights, armed with needles and yarn, coming to the rescue of everyone from babies to grownups.

"There's just a lot of charity work going on all the time," said Peggy O'Neill. She started the group ten years ago. Now up to 40 knitters and crocheters meet every Monday night at 6:30, from beginners to experts.

Mary Luthy zips through big blankets for the charity Project Linus, "and mainly for hospitals and teenagers because they're big ones, not baby ones. Most people don't want to do the big ones. They take too long."

Look around the room, you'll see baby hats destined for pediatric wards, prayer shawls for those who need comfort.

The newest project is Knitted Knockers, soft pouches shaped like a breast and stuffed with fiberfill for women who have undergone mastectomies.

Laura Schrack knew people who could use them. "So we brought it to the group, the group agreed, and everybody's making them," she said.

This basket is going to the breast center of Suburban Community Hospital. Polly Sacco Ezzell, a nurse navigator, said, "They're soft, they're light, they're washable. They fit right in the pocket of prosthetic bras. They'll have something that is handmade with love to put right next to their hearts."

The KnitKnights welcome new members. They have yarn and needles for newbies.

"If they're a rank beginner, we sit them with somebody who has time to show them," Peggy said.

"Anybody new who comes in, they're so welcoming," said Marija Skoog, the library's branch manager. "They're famous around Conshohocken, giving so much to their community and giving so much back."

They are a small army of warm hearts.

You can get in touch with coordinator Peggy O'Neill at peggy@knitknights.com or through their website, http://knitknights.com/KnitKnights/Home.html