Meet 86-year-old George Thompson, a shining example of how age is just a number when it comes to learning something new and spreading kindness. When George discovered that his assisted living community was kicking off a project to knit tiny hats for preemies in the NICU, he jumped at the chance to contribute. There was, however, one tiny hiccup—he had never knitted a stitch in his life.
“I’ve never knitted before,” George chuckled in an interview. “The staff said it was a nice way to keep us seniors out of trouble!” With a little help from his daughter, who kindly stocked up on supplies from the local craft store, George was ready to tackle his first hat. Armed with a loom, yarn, and an instructional book, he dove into the world of knitting.
The first hat took him a whopping three hours over four days, thanks to a rookie mistake where he dropped stitches and had to start from scratch. But don’t worry, he bounced back quickly and soon found himself cranking out hats at a pace of one every 90 minutes. “I can even knit while watching my favorite shows now,” he said, chuckling at how far he had come.
George initially aimed to make 150 hats all by himself, but soon, news of his new hobby spread like wildfire among other residents. They started donating their own yarn—“These ladies must have a treasure trove of yarn!” he remarked. Within weeks, George had knitted 55 hats, but with the help of his fellow knitters, they collectively churned out an impressive 300 hats! They proudly delivered their creations to the local Georgia Northside hospital just in time for National Prematurity Awareness Day.
George is determined to keep the momentum going, planning to knit at least 30 hats each month for the hospital. “It feels great to know that what I’m doing is helping someone,” he said, with a twinkle in his eye.
For those interested in more about pregnancy and related topics, check out this excellent resource on pregnancy. And if you’re curious about home insemination, you might enjoy reading about it on our other blog post here as well as this comprehensive guide.
In summary, George Thompson, at 86, proves that it’s never too late to learn something new and make a difference, as he hand-knitted 300 hats for premature babies with the help of his community.