Knitting group makes hats for student biathlon spectators
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
BIATHLON BONNETS — Teachers and volunteers have been knitting hats for Presque Isle Middle School seventh-graders to wear Friday to the E.ON IBU World Cup Biathlon competitions at the Nordic Heritage Center. The project began shortly after Christmas and about 90 hats will be made in total. Working on the hat-knitting project are, from left: Elaine Hendrickson, Llori Keirstead, Shizuko Hood, Glenn Capps, co-owner of Yarn, Glass ‘n More at the Aroostook Centre Mall, and Kathy Sweeney. The World Cup Biathlon event will be held Feb. 4-6 at the Nordic Heritage Center.
PRESQUE ISLE — Several seventh-graders at Presque Isle Middle School will be warm – and visible – Friday while watching the E.ON IBU World Cup Biathlon competitions at the Nordic Heritage Center as teachers and volunteers have been knitting them hats.
According to teacher Elaine Hendrickson, hats are being made for her students, as well as those in Nancy Watson’s, Marianne Dyer’s and Cindy Cote’s homerooms.
“There are 70-75 children,” said Hendrickson, “but our goal is to make about 90 hats because we want all of the parent volunteers to have hats, too.
“Our objective is to have them all wear matching hats for a couple of reasons; one, it will be a camera magnet so that when the camera pans the audience to send it back to Europe, they’ll have people with the hats, plus with 1,500 students from throughout Aroostook County expected to attend Friday’s competitions, it will be much easier for us to pick our students out.”
The idea for the matching hats came from Hendrickson and parent volunteer Kathy Sweeney.
“When I’ve taken children before, we’ve used fleece. One year we made fleece hats and the next time that I went we made scarves,” said Hendrickson. “We thought knitting the hats would be fun especially since we’re members of a knitting group, the Knotty Knitters.
Contributed photo
YARN, GLASS ‘N MORE in Presque Isle donated 100 skeins of yarn so teachers and volunteers could knit 90 hats for seventh-graders at Presque Isle Middle School and parent volunteers to wear to Friday’s E.ON IBU World Cup Biathlon events at the Nordic Heritage Center. Displaying the yarn and some of the completed hats are, from left: student Alyssa Sweeney, Glenn Capps, business owner; student Sedona Lucas and Tony Burgess, business owner.
“The hats are blue which not only is one of our school colors, but it happens to be the same color they’re using on the V-boards which separates the lanes, and the shooting racks,” she said. “We decided to do this before Thanksgiving and we started knitting the first week after Christmas. We wanted to give ourselves enough time to get them all done.”
Sweeney, who has been with the Knotty Knitters for years, said she’s been very involved in the hat-making process.
“I’ve been here for virtually every hat … either making them or showing everybody how to make them,” she said. “While I like knitting, I’m doing this for the kids. It’s a big undertaking, but I like Elaine, and as a favor to her, I wanted to help so we can get them all done.
“Several people have helped make these hats which is wonderful,” said Sweeney. “I’d say when they’re all done, we’ll have more than 50 hours invested in this project, but I know the kids will appreciate them and that’s why we’re doing it.”
The owners of Yarn, Glass ‘n More at the Aroostook Centre Mall – Tony Burgess and Glenn Capps – donated 100 skeins of Plymouth yarn, as well as the use of the Skacel Addi Express knitting machine.
“The Skacel is a hand-crank knitting machine and they’re able to make a half-dozen in a two-hour period,” Burgess said. “Since it’s for the kids, it’s worth it.
“I knew they wouldn’t be able to knit them all individually, and they didn’t think they’d be able to afford the yarn, so we were happy to make the donation,” he said. “We’re part of the community, the school is part of the community, so we helped out that way. The volunteers have done a really good job and it’s been nice having them in the store as other customers are able to see them working on the project.”
Sweeney said the hat knitting is an intricate process.
“It takes about 10 minutes to actually make the hat, about 5 minutes to get it off the machine, and then you have to bind the top of it to make the top part of the hat where we’re hoping to make tassels if we have enough time, and then you have to weave in the bottom of the hat,” she said. “It’s quite a process, but we’re having a great time. I know we’ll reach our goal.”
Other volunteers helping with the project include Cindy Cote, Llori Keirstead, Marria Bagley, Georgina Schiff, Barb Lambert and Shizuko Hood.
“It’s nice to have so many people that are willing to volunteer,” said Hendrickson.
The World Cup Biathlon event will be held Feb. 4-6 at the Nordic Heritage Center.
