Ada Magill says 'yes' to knots

She knits hats. She knits scarves. She even knits tiny crucifixes and angels, and she does it all for Christ.

Ada Magill is a member of "Knit for Christ," a group of volunteers at Our Lady of Victory parish in Troy who knit and crochet hats, mittens and scarves for needy families.

This year, thanks to her tireless efforts, more than 400 kids received hats to keep them warm.

Knit together

Mrs. Magill, 82, is a parishioner of St. Joseph's Church in Troy, but she has been living in the neighborhood of Our Lady of Victory most of her life. She grew up as a parishioner of OLV, made her First Communion there in 1933 and attended the parish school.

She joined the Knit for Christ group because "I love to knit. I knit all the time. I'd already been making hats and mittens for needy children in Appalachia. I thought it would be the perfect pastime for me.

"I knit at home, and even when we go for drives in the car. When it's dark outside, I still knit in the car because I've done it for so long that it seems the natural thing to do. I can just knit row after row by feeling the stitches."

Warm gifts

The Knit for Christ group began with the intention of helping needy families stay warm during the winter.

"We began by knitting and crocheting hats, scarves and mittens," said Marge Carroll, one of the original members of the group. "We recently added prayer shawls, blankets for newly christened babies and baby clothes. This year, we made angels and crucifixes for nursing home residents and homebound parishioners for the holidays."

Mrs. Magill has made them all but prefers to knit what she considers her main product: children's hats.

"I make them in small, medium and large," she explained. "I use the same size needle for them all, a number eight. I simply adjust the rows for the different head sizes."

Cross-stitch

Mrs. Magill begins knitting hats right after Christmas, but she got sidetracked this year when the group got involved in knitting the angels and crucifixes.

"We slowed her down," admitted Carol VanVleck, another member of the club. "She offered to make the crosses for parishioners at both parishes: 25 for St. Joseph's and about 20 for Our Lady of Victory."

Knitting the crosses set Mrs. Magill back only a bit. "I realized I had to get going, though," she said. "I only had 60 hats finished when I began the crucifixes, so now I'm really busy trying to catch up."

Bonus hats

Each year, Mrs. Magill supplies about 200 hats to high schoolers at a school in Kentucky, but this year they told her they needed only 100.

"That was good news for them," because it meant people were less needy," Mrs. Magill said. "But I had a hundred extra hats, so I donated them to a couple of our local public schools and a daycare center. Once they took what they needed, I still had about 40 or so left over. That began my count for next year."

Active life

In addition to knitting, Mrs. Magill stays active at St. Joseph's by being involved in fundraisers and the choir. She also helps coordinate the annual parish craft fair and is a life member of the Center Brunswick Volunteer Fire Department's Ladies Auxiliary.

"I believe in staying busy. Knitting keeps my mind and my body active. It keeps me out of trouble," she joked.

("Ada has been an inspiration to us all. She has lots of wonderful stories that she shares and a great sense of humor. Besides knitting so well, she keeps us laughing," said Marge Carroll, member of Knit for Christ. The Knit for Christ group has about 15 members, including a man who "does exquisite work. He makes his own pattern designs," Mrs. Magill said. The group meets on Tuesday evenings, 7-8 p.m. New members are welcome. Call 273-7602.)

(04/03/08) [[In-content Ad]]